Country trainers will be consulted about the best programming for qualifying races for the much-hyped Country Championships final in April.
Details about the $1 million series for country-trained gallopers, announced earlier this week, are set to be thrashed out. It is understood trainers will be given a say in how the seven qualifying races will be run at third-tier racing centres in NSW, including suitable distances, and when in March the heats will be run.
The first two from each $100,000 heat – to be held in Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, Bathurst, Dubbo, Tamworth, Grafton and Port Macquarie – will qualify for the $300,000 final over 1400 metres at Randwick during The Championships.
Lead-up events are expected to be from 1200m to 1400m, but ideally will be as close to the final distance as possible.
"We need to be careful with it because we want to give every horse a chance in its preparation," Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys said.
"Some horses like a freshen-up and other horses like to be fit, so we're trying to do it in a way where it doesn't disadvantage anybody."
Horses will only be given one crack at qualifying in the region they are from.
To this end, Dubbo-trained horses will revert to the Western Districts featuring gallopers from towns such as Coonamble, Coonabarabran, Narromine and Warren. The Central Districts qualifier will be held in Bathurst.
Provincial horses will be ineligible for the Country Championships, but a similar concept for horses based at Newcastle, Gosford, Wyong, Hawkesbury and Kembla Grange is believed to be in the pipeline.
BOB READY FOR ANOTHER ROUND
Taree's Bob Milligan knows what it takes to win his home-town cup, but even he is unsure if Onemore Eightmore will fit the bill in Sunday's $60,000 feature.
"I haven't had to do too much with him [since his Taree Cup Prelude win], but whether he can run 2000 metres we don't know," Milligan said. "We've got to try to find out and it's all we can do really.
"He goes all right at Taree. We've had it in the back of our mind that if he can run good races in any of those [lead-up events] he could go around here at Taree."
Senior rider Matthew Bennett will take over from Andrew Adkins, who helped Onemore Eightmore run his rivals ragged in the Prelude. Onemore Eightmore was a fast-finishing fifth in the Sawtell Cup at the start before.
Bindi Cheers will have Phrases as the other local representation in the Taree Cup, which has attracted visitors from Sydney and Hawkesbury.
OLD JACK SIGNS OFF
Speaking of the Taree Cup, grand old millionaire Youthful Jack has been retired after breaking down earlier in the week in preparation for his home-town feature.
The nine-year-old won races in Queensland, NSW and on almost annual visits to Tasmania, amassing more than $1.1 million in prizemoney from 74 starts. Fittingly, Youthful Jack's final win came in last year's Ramornie Handicap.
Trainer Ross Stitt's other injured galloper, Coffs Harbour Cup winner Southern Shimmer, will be back on the country cups trail after responding to treatment for a leg infection.
TAB meetings: Sunday – Nowra, Taree. Monday – Cessnock, Lismore. Tuesday – Dubbo. Thursday – Grafton. Friday – Scone. Saturday – Port Macquarie.
