The seven-year-old mare saluted at Cowra’s meeting on Saturday in race Stanley had not initially had on the radar for her.

“She is a very fit mare at the moment, but we’d actually been waiting on some softer tracks for her. Every time we go out it’s a Good 3 - she’s won on a Heavy 10,” Stanley said.

“Here we are sitting back waiting and waiting, the horse is fit and ready to go so we had to start her, so we took her over there.”

Though Flying By’s results may have read a seventh and a pair of sixth placings in her three most recent runs before heading to Cowra, they did come in handy fields.

It meant Flying By still attracted attention from punters for the Fillies and Mares Benchmark 55 Handicap (1,100 metres) at Cowra as she started at $6.50.

Those who backed her would have been delighted at what unfolded.

“She’s been racing with pretty strong company around Bathurst and places like that,” Stanley said.

“She’s been racing good races in strong fields, but just not having any luck. So we freshened her right up and whacked her back in a 1,100 and she sat three deep.

“She was three deep on the corner and come down the outside and she won alright.”

The Byblos x Flying Grange mare posted the seventh win of her 55-start career as she came from fourth at the 800m mark to beat home Unshinkable ($31) by 1.28 lengths.

Stanley was not only pleased with Flying By’s run, but the ride of apprentice Chelsea Ings.

“It was a top ride by Chelsea. I told her to jump out and have her as handy as she could if you can’t lead, which I thought she may be able to at one stage there, but the pace was a bit solid,” Stanley said.

“She elected to sit three deep for the full journey and defied all the odds, it was a good ride, she rode her very well.

“She rides well, I’ve been giving her a few lately and she’s had three winners for me. The first ride she had for me she won, so that’s a good record there and she’s a lovely kid to go with it.”

Flying By was not the only member of Stanley’s team to do well at Cowra, with Fairy Shadow placing second in the Class 2 Handicap (1,375m) as a $9 chance.

“Fairy Shadow ran a very nice I thought, she boxed on strongly for second,” the trainer said.