SEBASTIAN trainer Kylie Linsell hopes a maiden win for Daylight At Dawn on Tuesday night is only a prelude of things to come for her lightly-built pacer.
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Linsell has encountered a few problems along the way with the three-year-old gelding, who has still managed to display remarkable consistency throughout his short career.
In his 11 career starts, Daylight At Dawn has only twice finished outside the top five. A pair of seconds at Shepparton in September, before a decent last start fourth, suggested a win was only around the corner for the gelding.
That moment arrived at Lord's Raceway, with Daylight At Dawn powering home in the straight, with Greg Sugars aboard, to overtake the pacemaker Esterna and Ellen Tormey and score a solid win.
Linsell was naturally thrilled to get the pacer's maiden win out of the way.
"As he's grown he's started doing a few things wrong, touching a knee and that sort of thing," she said.
"But he always tries and has been a bit unlucky at times with how his races have been run.
"He's nice and consistent and I'm sure he'll keep improving. He's only a lightly-framed horse, but he tries his heart out.
"He was a a little bit wild as a young horse, when we first got him as a baby, but he's improved a lot."
Linsell admitted to a degree of confidence ahead of the race on the back of some handy, albeit non-winning, form.
"It's been coming for a while, but we were thinking he might never get (a win)," she said.
"We thought he might break through as a two-year-old, but things just didn't quite work out.
"Greg Sugars did as great job. Chris Svanosio has done a bit of work with him at the trials too, trying to sort him out.
"Chris has been a bit unlucky on him on some occasions in races."
Linsell was pleased with the effort of her other runner in the race, Wheres Wood Wood (Haydon Gray), who finished fifth, after he impressed in a trial win on Sunday.
She said both horses pulled up well on Wednesday, with a possible trip to Tabcorp Park Melton on the horizon for Daylight At Dawn.
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