And a storm did eventually role in but it wasn't the thunder and lightning kind, rather it was the racing kind, with the Jeremy Gask-trained Storm Intensity just getting home to win her maiden race in just her first ever official start at Bathurst.

Drawing the barrier one for the opening race of the day, the Pearce's Furniture One Lithgow Maiden Hanidcap (1300 metres), Storm Intensity ($41) found the rails early but she was several places back.

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But jockey Adrian Layt waited for the prefect opportunity to make his move and he found it in the home straight, as the three-year-old bay filly came home on the inside to finish just 0.17 metres ahead of local hopeful Five Feet Apart, trained by Wanda Ings and ridden by her daughter Chelsea Ings.

Race favourite Strixen ($4.20), trained by Gary Portelli, had started the race well but slipped out of contention and ultimately finished a disappointing 10^th.

The Scone trainer wasn't on hand to witness the win, but Layt - who was featuring in his only ride in the eight-race meeting - admitted that Gask wasn't expecting a win in the filly's maiden run.

"She had three trials and they were all pretty ordinary, nothing too outstanding. Jeremy spoke to me this morning - I think she's a half sister to one of his other horses there - and he said the breed takes a while to come good," he said.

"He wouldn't have been surprised if she ran a bit of a race but didn't expect her to win, so I say that's an added bonus for him."

It was the first time the filly had raced over that distance, with all three of her previous trials only over 900 metres.

Her first two trials were at her home track of Scone, with one November and December.

Gask opted to try his luck by entering Storm Intensity in a trial at Muswellbrook earlier this month, but that produced a last place finish.

While it was a close finish for those watching trackside and at home, Layt was always confident Storm Intensity would hold onto victory once she took to the front.

"I thought I won comfortably, but I think there was only a head in it," he said.

"I knew I had won it, having got through quite easy in the inside."

While Storm Intensity is now in the winner circles, Layt believes the filly still has plenty of growing and improving to do in the coming years.

"Onwards and upwards from here, but it might be a bit hard to place her for some time while she learns her craft," he said.

"She's going to go on with it when time progressions but it's just her first day out.

"She's done a great job, I just don't where she'll go from here. I leave that up to Jeremy."

Another local hopefully just missed out a victory in the second race of the meeting - the Watermart CG&E Maiden Plate (1100 metres) - with Dean Mirfin's Astrolith ($4.20) getting pipped to the winning post by the Richard and Michael Freeman-trained Son of Sangio ($3.80).

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