Mick Smith thought he would be without a runner in next month's $35,000 Queanbeyan Cup, before Pahruli's explosive win at her home track on Tuesday.
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The seven-year-old staying mare cleared out to finish almost three lengths clear of Room Number in the Benchmark 58 Handicap (2000m) at Queanbeyan, with Mahsinger almost four lengths further back in a distant third.
It was Pahruli's best of four wins since joining Smith's stable, and adds to a potentially strong hand for the astute trainer as he targets the club's most prestigious race next month.
"A little while back I was thinking I probably wouldn't have anything good enough for it but after that run I think I would like to target the Queanbeyan Cup with her," Smith said.
"She's been a really good horse to me, she's run a lot of placings, she always tries hard. I'm really proud of her today, that's by far her best win. It'd be good to see her go onto the Cup, I don't know if she's good enough to win that but I think we'll be heading there.
"There'll be great celebration tonight because winning a staying race in the country is very hard work."
Pahruli's stablemates Hilltop Hood and Hello China would both be fellow candidates for the Cup, although Smith will likely adopt a different staying path with the latter.
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Hello China is set to run in the Heat of the Wagga Stayers Series (2500m) on Saturday, with an eye to the Mountaineer Cup (3200m) at that track later this month.
The nine-year-old was pipped out of that race last year by the Ciaron Maher/David Eustace-trained Dambulla.
"It's very hard as a country trainer to program stayers, you just can't find suitable races," Smith said.
"There's a two-mile race which he [Hello China] ran in last year which he just got beaten in, when Maher and Eustace came to Wagga to steal a race from the country.
"The horse [Dambulla] that's a brother to the horse that won the Cox Plate [Whobegotyou], so it just winds you up when you're a country trainer, there's not many staying races, you just have to deal with it."
On an action-packed card at Queanbeyan, apprentice Amy McLucas rode the first winner, Ambari, for Tash Burleigh, before being dislodged from the horse after the race and being taken to hospital for scans on a sore knee. She was cleared of serious injury.
Meanwhile, Everest favourite Classique Legend drew barrier five for Saturday's $15m feature at Randwick much to the delight of veteran trainer Les Bridge.
Second pick Nature Strip will jump from out wide in barrier 10, while Joseph Pride fancy Eduardo was handed gate seven.
The barrier draw for the $1.3m Kosciuszko (1200m) will be held on Wednesday. Handle The Truth, trained in Canberra by Keith Dryden, was the $4.50 favourite as of late Tuesday night.
On a big day of racing developments, Craig Williams secured the prized ride on Amamoe after Godolphin confirmed their Caulfield Guineas winner would head to the Cox Plate.
Star Sydney jockey James McDonald remains hopeful of being allowed to travel to Melbourne, to reunite with drifting Cox Plate favourite Zaaki.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
