What does the cryptic crossword clue "Excessively keen to start with, maiden maybe grabbed the reins (4,4)" mean?

The definition is "grabbed the reins". The wordplay uses a deletion. TOO (synonym="Excessively") + K (first_letter="keen") + OVER (synonym="maiden") = TOOKOVER; definition: "grabbed the reins" The answer is TOOKOVER.

Excessively keen to start with, maiden maybe grabbed the reins (4,4)

Guardian Cryptic #29167 | 16 Down | 2023-09-05 flower

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