ARARAT - Running coach Marcus Cooper had said it wasn't far away and now Jacquie Scott has her hands on a maiden Victorian Athletic League sash after winning the final of the 100-metre under-17 event at the Daylesford Gift meeting last Saturday.
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Scott went into the final as the firm favourite after winning her heat in the fastest qualifying time of 11.02 seconds.
Cooper said despite winning the title in a slower time (11.08s), Scott completely blew her competition out of the water.
"Her confidence you could just see each race was climbing, she was getting stronger and stronger and in that final she came out and just blitzed them," he said.
"She missed the start, then just took off again and she won by a couple of metres in the end. It was good running."
Scott's victory continues the Cooper Stable's purple patch on the VAL circuit.
"It was great to see Jac get her first win," Cooper said.
"That is six sashes for us now this season for five different winners, so we are flying."
The Daylesford meeting also saw Scott finish second in the final of the Women's Gift for the second time in five days.
"Just like at Ararat Jacquie came second again in the Women's Gift, she just got pipped and the lady who beat her is trailing for the Commonwealth Games in the 4x100m relay team, so she could run!" Cooper said.
"We also had Julia Boatman make the final of the women's 400 metres, but she (finished ninth and) just ran out of legs."
It was the second 400-metre final Boatman had qualified for last week, after again making the final at the Maryborough Gift on New Year's Day.
Cooper said Boatman had ran much better when she was fresh going into that event and was rewarded with a third placing.
The Maryborough meeting was a good one for the Cooper Stable, with three athletes making finals.
Along with Boatman's 400-metre final, Cooper finished eighth in the final of the Veterans' 300 metres and Fraser Heard also eighth in the 120-metre Novice event.
"Fraser made the final of the novice 120 metres and I am really, really happy with that," Cooper said.
"I am getting him to run more 400s, which is making him stronger at the end of the 120 and he is realising that now. He came and told me he was feeling much more stronger at the end.
"It is all clicking for Fraser, everything is falling in line. We have just got to work on his first 20 metres out of the blocks now he has just got to build more power, but that's alright he is only young and that will come."
Ben Boatman competed at both Maryborough and Daylesford and continued to impress off a tough handicap, while Cooper said older sister Tiffany looked tired following a busy schedule in recent weeks.
Making his debut at Daylesford was Ararat's Kieran Blizzard.
After running at three gift meetings in five days, the Cooper Stable will not compete this weekend, instead electing to resume at the St Albans meeting next Saturday.
Cooper said following Daylesford is the best he has pulled up all season.
"That means I can have a really strong week of training and build up to St Albans," he said.
"But we do need a break. I think the kids are a bit sore and tired, so with Ruby Klemm and Sarah Blizzard now back training it is good to have some of the old hands coming back. It will freshen us all up again."