The Bjorn Baker-trained Bonny O'Reilly saluted to the punters' delight in the Your Local Greengrocer Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Backed from a midweek high of $5.50, Bonny O'Reilly bullocked her way to victory as the $2.90 favourite.
Chris Waller's In Times Of War ($3.40) had all the momentum at the business end of the race but Bonny O'Reilly's tenacity saw her peg back a half-length deficit to score by a long neck. In Times Of War and the Angela Davies-trained Machinegun Jubs ($16) dead-heated for second.
"I always felt I was going to be right in the finish, she travelled really strongly, I just needed an ounce of luck to get out and once she got balanced up, she showed a great will to win," jockey Tim Clark said.
"I think she's got black type written all over her."
The result completed a winning treble for Clark, who is three-quarters of the way through a career best season with 51 winners, placing him behind only Brenton Avdulla (65-1/2) and Kerrin McEvoy (53) on the Sydney jockeys' premiership.
"I'm just happy with the way things are going. I think a top five finish would be a realistic goal, anything more than that would be a bonus," Clark said.
The Baker stable is likely to shift its focus to the Brisbane winter carnival with Bonny O'Reilly, now a five-time winner from seven career starts.
