The Myola-based trainer conceded he was under no illusions that his three-year-old' trotter's first race start would be a successful one.

He would emerge a little bit shocked, but elated when the son of Bacardi Lindy, a $41 shot, was able to run down the short-priced favourite Kyvalley Kyrie, after coming from third last at the bell, nearly 40m off the leader.

"It was certainly surprising ... he's been trialing okay, but had a habit of pulling hard up until (Tuesday) night," McDermott said.

"The plan at Shepparton was to just get him away and keep him out of trouble and get him to trot okay, and if everything went well, we'd plan our way from there.

"We were a long way back from the leader, and I'm sure the leader was expected to just lead and win and I certainly thought that way as well.

"There was nothing in front of me that was going to cart me any further forward, so I thought I'd make my move and see where we got from there.

"On the home turn I was thinking I might be able to run a place here and was pretty happy at that stage. Then 100m from home I nearly had the leader.

"We really had to make our own luck, but the last quarter of 32.1 was what really won us race. I'll take that any day of the week."

Testament to his promise, Heres To You Jimmy had to account for a handy field.

Coming into the race, Kyvalley Kyrie boasted wins at Melton and Bendigo and a pair of second placings in her previous four starts, while the third and fourth placegetters - Bacardi Jess from the powerful Glenn Douglas stable and Just Oscar for Maddie Ray and Haydon Gray - were both previous start winners.

"I've raced him against a few of the other horses I've got, so I had of a bit idea where I thought this guy stood in the pecking order," McDermott said.

"I probably didn't quite have the faith in him; I took him to the trials and thought he didn't go as well as he could have, he probably used up too much energy fighting me in the run.

"I didn't know if he'd settle, but it was pretty obvious halfway through the race that everything was going good as far as the horse relaxing.

"He's probably only trialed in a field of five at the most, so this was the biggest field (12 horses) he's come up against."

The win gave McDermott, who currently has eight horses in work, a 50 per cent strike rate from his last four trips to the racetrack following Morgan Mylee's victory at Shepparton on June 26.

The mare has since been sold.

Early plans have McDermott and Here's To You Jimmy headed for Kilmore on Sunday week.

His debut win provided a major thrill to two of his owners, Helen Morrison and Shirley MacDonald, residents at Bendigo Domain Village, which is situated next door to Lord's Raceway.

It is Morrison's first venture into harness racing ownership.

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.