It was there that the stirrings of the trainer he would become were fomented.

As a man, Groth toiled over many years trying to turn the dream of winning his hometown cup into reality.

And on a cool and clear autumn day, on a track that rain softened to suit his horse, the likeable trainer finally realised that dream when apprentice Jackson Searle piloted seven-year-old bay mare Annie's Street to victory in the 1600m feature.

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"Everything," Groth replied, without hesitation, when asked what winning the $40,000 race means to him.

"Everybody wants to win their hometown cup - and that's what it's about," he said.

"And we done that today. So we can tick that off the box and get on with it."

In winning her sixth race in her 36th career start, Annie's Street beat the Todd Howlett-trained Two Big Fari (Madeline Owen) by just under half a length.

The John Cooper-trained Alastor (Georgina McDonnell) was almost a length and a half away in third place.

"We set her for the race," Groth said, "and it just worked out really well.

"I must say, it probably helped with the rain coming."

He continued: "She had no weight, Jackson rode her really well."

The track was a soft five.

Groth said Annie's Street was "just a good, consistent, tough horse".

The win boosted her career earnings to more than $116,000, with it paying $11 (TAB fixed odds).

A crowd of several hundred descended on the course for the eight-race showcase meeting.

The Cody Morgan-trained Ice In Vancouver (Aaron Bullock) won the $32,000 Lightning Showcase Handicap (1000m), beating the Howlett-trained Toto (Ashley Morgan) by a length.

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