Riverside sprinter Laura Downie just missed out on a place in the women's 120m Stawell Gift final on Monday.
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The 26-year-old qualified for the semi-finals earlier on the back of a fast heat time of 14.152 seconds on Saturday's opening day.
But Downie struggled to produce that sort of run off a handicap of 7.25 metres.
She crossed the line amid a sluggish semi-final heat to finish second but in a slower 14.351, well behind winner Bree Masters in 13.975.
Just the top six fastest times qualify for Australia's oldest and richest foot race in central Victoria. Downie's time was ranked 18th overall.
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Ulverstone's Abby Chapman running off 3.5 metres from scratch also missed the final in 14.427.
Downie failed to advance out of the opening 70m heats on Saturday.
She ran a time of 8.704 to finish second.
The past Launceston Gift winner's greatest triumph was just over 12 months ago, claiming Bendigo's prized Black Pearl 400m final.
Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
