Fresh off winning the Wellington Cup on Sunday, David Smith was smiling from ear to ear.
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But the expression quickly left the Mudgee trainer's face when Lockdown Gamble's Cup triumph was protested.
Danish Prince, the second-place finisher, had put in a protest attempting to overturn the win, and after a 30-minute wait, the case was dismissed.
A relieved Smith promptly resumed his celebration, and that big smile returned in an instant.
"I was just speaking to a photographer, and he said, 'mate your face was so happy, then it dropped'," he said.
"It was heart-wrenching, once we got in there and watched the footage, I knew that we were going to hold on to the race."
A qualifier for The Big Dance, the Keirle's Pharmancy Wellington Showcase Cup (1700m) attracted runners from all over the state, but there was plenty of excitement around the yard when a trainer from the region managed to win.
Taking on horses trained by Ciaron Maher and Bjorn Baker, Smith's Lockdown Gamble ($9) proved too good, taking home $48,000 for first place.
"It's awesome, anytime we can keep them out of The Big Dance with these country cups is just a massive thrill," Smith said.
"It's not only that, it solidifies all the work you do with the horse. It shows you can compete at that sort of level and still get the job done."
Sunday's win marks another high in the mixed opening to 2024 for the gelding, who was disqualified for the Country Championships Final after returning a positive sample to a banned substance during the qualifying race at Mudgee.
Now with a spot at Randwick locked in again, Smith couldn't help but look back on the Wellington Cup win fondly.
"It was a bloody massive run," he said.
"We thought we would be competitive with 53 kg on board, but we just had to get the run right.
"It was an absolute peach from Coriah (Keatings), and full credit goes to her. She box seated him and was competitive riding on the turn and got the split at the right time then she was all over, it was too strong late."
Danish Prince trained by Marc Conners finished second ahead of Brett Robb's Sizzle Minizzle who ran a brilliant race to finish third.
Lockdown Gamble and Danish Prince have both qualified for run on Melbourne Cup Day at Randwick.