Toowoomba hobby trainer Don Baker had mixed feelings after landing his first stakes success with underrated mare Russeting in the Juanmo Handicap at Eagle Farm.Ridden by Ron Goltz, Russeting recorded her eighth win from only 19 starts when she downed fellow Toowoomba mare Hurl by a length in the 1200-metre Listed feature.Baker's excitement after notching his first black-type success was tempered by the decision of the mare's owner Ron Croghan to sell the daughter of Commands at the Magic Million

Toowoomba hobby trainer Don Baker had mixed feelings after landing his first stakes success with underrated mare Russeting in the Juanmo Handicap at Eagle Farm.

Ridden by Ron Goltz, Russeting recorded her eighth win from only 19 starts when she downed fellow Toowoomba mare Hurl by a length in the 1200-metre Listed feature.

Baker's excitement after notching his first black-type success was tempered by the decision of the mare's owner Ron Croghan to sell the daughter of Commands at the Magic Millions brood mare sale in June.

"I'd love to keep her and set her for some of the fillies and mares races in the winter or the Weetwood Handicap at home," Baker said.

"But Ron plans to sell her in the June sale so I'll have to talk to him and hope he'll hold off."

Russeting started her career with trainer Kris Lees at Newcastle but has done all her racing in Queensland and was coming off a first-up victory in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Dalby last month.

"Kris trained her and gave her two barriers trials in Newcastle but all her racing has been with me," Baker said.

"Before this my previous best wins were mostly in the city with restricted class runners although I did win an open race here recently."

Baker has only six horses in work at Toowoomba and combines his track duties with work as a concrete cutter with the Toowoomba City Council.

While Russeting's future was uncertain, Baker hoped there was some good news on the horizon.

"Ron has been good to me and he bought me a nice Encosta De Lago filly at the Magic Millions sales to train," he said.

Earlier the tears were flowing when eight-year-old Rampant Lion scored a spectacular long neck win over Simplest in the Listed Dr. John Power Handicap (1200m).

Trainer Lindsay Gough and connections thought Rampant Lion's career was over after he pulled up in a distressed state with a serious neck injury following Eagle Farm trackwork a few weeks ago.

"We thought we had lost him and I shed a tear that day," said Gough.

"He was moaning and in a lot of pain but we think he only badly bruised his neck somehow.

"Shane Scriven got off him and thought he was finished but we nursed him back to health thanks to our vet, Lester Walters, who did a great job with him."

Gough had planned to aim Rampant Lion for next month's Doomben Cup (2020m) but conceded he had lost the battle to get him ready for the Group One feature.

"I wanted to go the same way as last year and head to the Hollindale and Doomben Cups before he bruised his neck but he's too far behind time now."

Rampant Lion finished fifth to Scenic Shot in last year's Group Two Hollindale Cup (1800m) at the Gold Coast then was runner-up to Sarrera in the Doomben Cup.

Gough sent Rampant Lion to Melbourne last spring but also had trouble with the eight-year-old.

"He got a foot abscess in Melbourne but because we were away from home we had to do things a little differently than if we were at home," he said.

"It was our dream to run him in the Mackinnon Stakes so we persevered with him and he ran a reasonable race in it."