THEY might have been clad in masks post-race, but there was no disguising the smiles on the faces of Adam O'Neill and John Keating at Wodonga on Monday.
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The Bendigo trainer and jockey combined for a surprising - to some, but not for others - 1200m benchmark 58 win with Tycoon Roxy.
A tough victory to the six-year-old mare, at $13 odds, was just the start to the new racing season O'Neill, who trains from his family's farm at Bagshot, and Keating would have been hoping for.
It was O'Neill's first training win since Boxing Day, when Top Melody, who is no longer with the stable, broke his maiden at Nhill.
But that gap between victories is somewhat misleading, with the young trainer saddling up fewer than 20 runners in the meantime.
Tycoon Roxy, by Written Tycoon out of Huon Cry, put the writing on the wall with a strong third at her previous start at Murtoa behind subsequent Moonee Valley winner Miss Divine Em.
With Keating taking the mare to the lead from his inside draw before enduring and eventually subduing a plethora of challenges, the victory was certainly hard won.
"We sort of were expecting it, I was pretty pleased to see Miss Divine Em come out and win at Moonee Valley on Saturday," O'Neill said.
"She wasn't far off (Miss Divine Em) and had a decent blow at Murtoa, she'd been seven weeks between runs and has been quite a handful this preparation.
"Now that we've got things up and going again, she's found some consistency for sure."
O'Neill praised an assertive ride by Keating, who held his nerve as the challenges came.
"I was pretty firm with my instructions, don't get cute - if something has to lead it, make it run 10 seconds and as soon as it does, get straight back up on its outside and pressure it," he said.
"I knew we had the fit horse.
"It's great for Johnny, he's done a lot of work for me and hasn't had a lot of luck lately. He's been drawing the car park and been on horse going around at 100-1.
"It's good to see him come back (to scale) with a massive smile on his face.
"This is a bloke who will never knock back a ride, he will drive to Pakenham to ride an 80-1 shot from barrier 13 and he does it with a smile and won't complain.
"I wanted someone who was hungry to ride a winner and that's exactly what I got."
O'Neill has always had a high opinion of Tycoon Roxy from the moment she finished third on debut at Cranbourne in April 2018.
The mare has now won three races and been placed four times in 13 starts, with O'Neill optimistic she can provide him with his elusive first Victorian city winner.
"I reckon she's one I could knock off a benchmark 70 mares race at Sandown, that's the sort of race I'd like to target," he said.
"Ideally, if there wasn't COVID, I'd like to take her to Adelaide.
"But I'd love to have a crack at 1200 or 1300m mares race at Sandown. Knock a bit of weight off her and I think she's a chance."
O'Neill said there was no one happier to see Tycoon Roxy sprint to victory than his daughter Sophie.
"The two of them are quite amazing when they are together, she lets Sophie do anything to her," he said.
"She will sit on top of her a lot.
"It's her favourite horse. Sophie was rapt to see her get home Monday night to feed her some carrots."
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