NOTHING not even a 10-day suspension could wipe the smile from Shannon OSullivans face at Tabcorp Park, Melton, on Monday night.

Four months after gaining her B-grade driver licence, the 18-year-old from Heathcote broke through for her first win when she partnered the Neville Pangrazio-trained Showgun Thomas to victory in the nights opening race.

The overdue win came in her 52nd race start and not before her fair share of near misses with six seconds and five thirds for a tidy win and places to starts ratio of 24 per cent.

OSullivan, who is the daughter of harness racing legend and 2017 Gordon Rothacker medallist Jim OSullivan, said it was an amazing feeling to finally break the drought.

It was a great feeling . I was smiling going across the line and I couldnt stop smiling after the race, she said.

It was great that dad was there too.

Dad drove me down to Melton because we had two horses in at Maryborough a couple of hours beforehand. I had to drive them first and then be in Melton for the first (race).

I got another second and a fifth at Maryborough and then the win at Melton.

The win led to some good-natured ribbing between daughter and father, who has literally driven and trained thousands of winners during a 50-year career in the sport.

Shannon went one-up on her famous father as the first of the pair to score a win at the headquarters of Victorian harness racing.

Dad reminded me afterwards that he had never won at Melton and then he told me I had done something else he hadnt and that was win a race going 1:54, which he never had, she said.

Its probably the best place to win a race and its good to be one-up on dad, which is very surprising.

The good-natured and polite young driver said she had been quietly confident of ending her winless streak when first offered the drive by Pangrazio.

Showgun Thomas, a five-year-old gelding, had won his previous two races for his Lockington-based handler at Echuca on New Years Day and Swan Hill (January 11).

He had good form and had ran good times - Ive been at the races and watched him race and hes a very consistent horse, OSullivan said.

I thought if I got the right drive and got a good position then we would be a very big chance of winning it.

I was confident in the horse in being able to do a lot of work and still being able to finish off the race.

A humble OSullivan, who is weeks away from starting her Bachelor of Exercise Science at La Trobe University, copped her suspension on the chin and already has a few drives lined-up for her return on February 2.

She hoped her breakthrough win and knack for rarely being outside the top five in her races would lead to increased opportunities going forward.

I got a couple of phone calls after my win asking could I drive and I was like Im so sorry I cant, OSullivan said.

Thats racing it happens. I coped it because I knew I was in the wrong.