ALBURY trainer Donna Scott has described Lord Von Costa's victory in Saturday's Thankyou Firefighters (1200m) at Flemington as "something special".
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Scott landed her first metropolitan winner when the seven-year-old gelding hit the front at the 300m before beating Montenegro Man by a neck.
It was the $26 chance's third win from 22 starts.
"It's hard to describe the feeling," Scott said.
"It's massive.
"Flemington is the headquarters of racing, it's like playing football at the MCG, and to come away with a win on a Saturday is fantastic for a country trainer.
"It's hard to beat the big boys in Melbourne.
"It's been a big team effort that's for sure."
Ridden by Blaike McDougall, Lord Von Costa has been knocking on the door for a big win after finishing second at Flemington on December 21.
"I was a bit surprised by the odds because we weren't far away last start," Scott said.
"It was a huge run.
"It's been a long time coming."
It was Lord Von Costa's first win since he took out the 2016 Listed Creswick Stakes at Flemington with the galloper being dogged by tendon issues.
Scott said she had been overwhelmed by the support.
"It's been fantastic," she said. "It's a big thing for any country trainer to win in Melbourne.
"I've had a lot of text messages from trainers and friends, it's been a pretty big 24 hours that's for sure."
Scott said Lord Von Costa had pulled up well after the run.
While the Albury Gold Cup Carnival is on the immediate radar, Scott hopes to target The Kosciuszko for NSW country-trained horses at Randwick in October.
"That's a long-range target," she said.
Lord Von Costa has only had a few starts for Scott after previously being trained by David Hayes, Stephen Brown and her father Graham Hulm.