Previous Cobar Cup winners for Jeffries have been War Horse for Russell Green, who trains at Wangaratta in Victoria, and Grimm for the Craig Tyack stable at Tullibigeal.

Victorian Crown, a former Dubbo-trained galloper, has been racing in great form and before Cobar had won successive Picnic Cups in Victoria at Swifts Creek, Healesville and Cranbourne before an unplaced run in the Deniliquin Cup.

Carrying the 61.5kg top weight at Cobar, Victorian Crown ($1.70 favourite) shook off Nipper’s Destiny near the home turn.

After a length of the straight stride-for-stride battle with the runner-up, defeated Bathurstian (Jamie Gibbons, $2.30) by a neck with eight lengths to third placed Queen Majesty (Daniel Pitomac, $7).

First leg of a winning double for Tiffany Jeffries was the Michael Plummer-trained Mr De Niro ($6) which overhauled the Wayne Prisk, Cobar-trained Vonnida (Kath Bell-Pitomac, $1.80 fav) close to home with Bulbadah (Kaylee Kirkwood, $4) third, in the Yanda Art – Lou Simon Memorial Benchmark 63 Handicap over 1000 metres.

Bathurst-based apprentice Jamie Gibbons rode his career-first winning double, Northern Myth in the KML Industries – Buckman Family Memorial Benchmark 50 Handicap (1200 metres) and Stravali in the 1200 metres Landmark Russell – Vinty Delaney Memorial Class 1 Handicap.

Raced by a group from Tottenham and Trundle and trained at Nyngan by Rodney Robb, Northern Myth ($3.40) from near last dashed home along the rails to beat Keepcalmandcarryon (Tiffany Jeffries, $3.70) and Flatley’s Fortune (James Rogers, $3.40).

Stravali ($3.40) trained at Parkes by George Wright swept to the lead in the straight for a convincing win from See Bling (James Rogers, $3.20) and Artful Song (Rasit Yetimova, $12).

Back to form, the Rodney Robb-trained Lucienne (Kaylee Kirkwood, $1.50 fav) led throughout for a nine-length win over Bold Suggestion (Eleanor Webster-Hawes, $3.50) and Al Artois (Rasit Yetimova, $6) in the Sullivans & Mining Hardware Dr Allan Brady Memorial Class 2 Handicap, 1370 metres.​