Bargain buy Deshawn was Cowra's only entry and went within a bob of the head of victory at the transferred Bathurst meeting on his home track on Tuesday.
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The recipient of another copy book ride from Mathew Cahill, Deshawn looked the winner when he raced to the lead at the top of the straight in the Cowra Bowling Club Benchmark 58 over 1375 metres.
Eventual winner Jonjo's Comet (A Collett) loomed soon after but Deshawn refused to lie down and a two horse battle ensured for the length of the Cowra straight before Jonjo's Comet prevailed by a half neck on the line.
Jonjo's Comet's co-trainer Mitch Kearney said the winner had a habit of thinking too much but winner jockey Alysha Collett managed to get the most out him.
"We're never really confident with him but when he shows up he can be a handy horse, it's just whether he shows up or not.
"He has a bit of affinity with Bathurst so we were a bit turned off," Kearney said of the decision to transfer the meeting to Cowra.
Earlier in the day Warwick Farm trainer Garry Portelli made a rare but successful trip to Cowra producing Lohnro two-year-old Lohnraki for an impressive first start win.
With Jess Taylor in the saddle Lohnraki ($2.10) was well supported but Portelli was unsure of the youngster's chances pre-race despite his pedigree suggesting he would appreciate the give out of the track.
"We work on the polytrack so it's a question mark.
"But he does have his share of ability from what we've seen at home," Portelli said.
And he lived up to his trackwork scoring by more than two and a half lengths from the Canberra trained Aramis En Avant (M Cahill) with Damreel (M Palmer) three and a quarter length back in third place.
Cowra's Mathew Cahill continued his excellent good form taking out the Railway Hotel Benchmark 66 over 1700m aboard Dragon's Shadow for Hawkesbury trainer Karen Outtrim.
"Perfect ride, gun ride," Outtrim said after the win.
Cahill and the winner have a real affinity, Tuesday's win being their third.
"Conditions were perfect for him, he loves the wet, and of course a gun ride," Outtrim said.