Buoyed by a terrific debut performance by Linkvue in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Rush (1000m) behind Bold Bastille on Golden Mile day last Saturday, the young Bendigo trainer kept his stable's momentum rolling by scoring a thrilling win at Albury on Monday with The Cast Off.

A tough win by the three-year-old Pariah filly has convinced her trainer to push on with plans to start her in the $200,000 VRC St Leger (2800m) at Flemington on Anzac Day.

It will be the start of a big three days for Lake, who is hoping Linkvue can back up his smart debut in the $1m Showdown (1200m) at Caulfield, two days later.

The Showdown will easily be the biggest race Lake has had a runner in since taking up training 11 months ago.

His biggest to date was last Saturday's Gold Rush.

The St Leger has long been the target for The Cast Off since her win on debut at Hanging Rock on Australia Day.

"I reckon she earned her spot there the other day by winning," Lake said.

"She did it tough (at Albury), but it was a good win."

Nicely ridden by Laura Lafferty, who was also in the saddle for the maiden win at Hanging Rock, the filly made it two wins from four career starts with a late-surging victory.

Lake credited the return of blinkers on The Cast Off - absent in her unplaced runs at Bendigo (in March) and Ballarat (April) - as crucial to her 2000m success on Monday.

"We took the blinkers off for her first two runs this time because the St Leger is 2800m and to be able to run that out, we obviously need to teach her to relax and finish off," he said.

"I didn't think there was a need to have the blinkers on her until she had a few runs under her belt and was doing everything properly.

"It's paid off so far. We'll leave them on in the St Leger and hopefully she can repeat what she did at Albury."

The win gave the 26-year-old his sixth career win, with the last two coming within the space of seven days following Dandruff's maiden win at Swan Hill last week.

Lake could not have been happier with the first-up effort of Linkvue, who chased home star filly Bold Bastille in the Gold Rush, in an ultra-promising debut on his home track.

Putting the gelding's 2.25-length second well into perspective, the more race-experienced Bold Bastille won for the fourth time in five career starts.

Her only failure to date was a sixth at Group 2-level in the Blue Diamond Prelude, when she pulled up lame.

"We were thrilled with that. He was only a $15,000 yearling, so to make $51,000 in his first start is nice," Lake said.

"It's a good advertisement for our stable and what we are trying to do.

"There are still some shares in some yearlings for anyone who wants to get involved.

"But he ran really well. Bold Bastille is already a star, so for Linkvue to do that at his first race experience, we were rapt.

"He pulled up really well too, so that's the important thing."

As he prepares to take on some of the industry's biggest names in The Showdown, Lake said it was hard to to imagine getting a chance at a $1 million race so early in his training career.

"I've only been training just short of 12 months; some people train a lifetime and don't get opportunities like this, so we are very fortunate," he said.

"But at the same time, it's a bit of a reward for all the effort the team has put in so far.

"The last Bendigo horse to have run in a $1 million race would have been Just Folk (in The Gong at Kembla Grange in November 2022), so we are getting some traction.

"It's great and hopefully the town can get around us."

In further exciting new for the stable, Volpe Risorsa - who provided Lake with his first winner as a trainer in September last year, will return to racing this Sunday at Bendigo.