Long-time hobby trainer savours special breakthrough win at the 'Bool

But the long-time hobby trainer will have an extra spring in his step.

O'Donnell captured his first Warrnambool May Racing Carnival win when Prince Sonic saluted in a benchmark 70 handicap over 1200 metres on the opening day of the 2024 event on Tuesday, April 30.

Jockey Declan Bates gave the passionate horseman his magic moment.

"To win a race at my home town...," he said after the penultimate race on the day one program.

"You can't put it into words, at the moment."

O'Donnell, whose other runner Rebellious Lord retired a week ago, was rapt to see the $46 chance beat the Jamie Kah-ridden Truffle Finder by 0.25 of a length.

"I worked him here on Saturday morning on the synthetic track," he said.

"It was dead quiet Saturday morning and I could hear a little gurgle and I thought 'oh no, we're in trouble here'.

"It played on my mind all day. Sunday, brought him back over here, put a tongue-tie onto him and just did another 400m evens.

"Peter came with me and he said 'perfect sound'."

O'Donnell has loved immersing himself in the carnival and was ecstatic to etch his name into the record books.

"It's fantastic. I have only had two or three runners. Billy Nolan rode one for me here one day on Tippy Toes, its name was," he reflected.

"I sprayed it with no-nots all over its coat to make it shine and it would've won (but) the saddle went back to its flanks and Billy Nolan came in and gave me the biggest serve and said 'what've you done here'.

"She ran third and that's the only two runners I've had (at the carnival)."

Prince Sonic stood out to O'Donnell the first time he saw him at Horsham.

"I was pre-training for Paul Preusker and I had old Rebellious Lord running and he said 'what are you going to do when old Rebel's finished?'," he said.

"I said 'I'll go to sales, buy a cheapie and start all over again.

"He said 'come up to my property'... and pick one out.

"He brought out some feed, tipped it on the ground and this horse brought all the horses up and then took off 100 miles an hour, he ducked back around the ute and started eating the feed.

"I said 'I'll take him'."

Bates, meanwhile, is making a habit of great front-running wins after piloting Pride Of Jenni to a group one win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney recently.

Prince Sonic may have been a $46 chance on the tote but he dominated for much of the race, and clung on tenaciously to score.

"It's such a special place Warrnambool. I've left empty handed here a few years so to get one, it's good," Bates said.

"You need to have the horse underneath you and I had that, he was spot on today. He was very genuine.

"He was straight forward. He bounced out and found the front very easy.

"He's a bit awkward. He has a bit of a high head carriage but he is lengthening and he is tough."