There aren't many ways a first career win can be made much better for a young driver, but Laura Rusten found a way to make the experience something truly special on Sunday.
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Racing at Parkes in the opening pace, Rusten was not only facing some of the longest odds in the entire meeting, but also a few of the biggest names in the sport across the Central West.
The youngster and bay mare Jaytees Hat entered the race as a $101 chance, but ended up out-gunning Steve Turnbull and Ali Baa Baa along the final stretch to win by a head and claim their first win each.
Laura's father and trainer Darryle Rusten, who also competed from the gig of You Look Well, said it was a perfect result.
"The mare went really well, she went really good, we were very happy and of course, she was driven well," Rusten said.
While the underdog win itself felt sweet, the result hadn't actually sunk in for an overwhelmed Laura until they were well past the post and rival Steve Turnbull turned to personally congratulate her.
"I couldn't really compute what was going on, but it was so exciting at the time," Laura said.
"It was all happening a bit too fast to process in the moment, but it felt so good."
While the Trundle based family of trainers and drivers were thankful for the congratulations that came locally, Turnbull's salute and those of the other drivers and trainers were particularly welcome for a family that traces it's racing lineage back four generations, according to Darryle Rusten.
"When the master Steve Turnbull tells you that you've got it, that's really something," Rusten said.
"He's a pretty big icon in the industry, but they were all really good and they all took the time to congratulate her, we saw congratulations coming from all over, it was really pleasing."
That's what the sport's about, that's what it has been about for us."
Rusten's father was a driver since the age of 17 and his grandfather was also in the sport alongside the likes of Tony Turnbull in the sport's earlier days.
"There's a fair length of history there, Laura's fourth generation," Rusten said.
"It's a family thing, we've got her younger sister as well and it was good to see it all come forward."
There was also a particular point of pride for the tight-knit family group in having another Trundle set of hands involved in the win, with Jaytees Hat's owner Peter Wright also hailing from there.
While the win was worth savouring, there was no resting on laurels for Laura and Darryle, who were right back to training the next day in search of their next win.
"We'll keep poking around and we'll keep trying to get that next one that everyone's chasing," Rusten said.