NORTHERN Rivers Racing Association hub Coffs Harbour is the first "cab off the rank" for the 2022 Newhaven Park Country Championship Series set for Saturday February 12. This is immediately followed with the South-East Racing Association's qualifying race for Nowra the next day.
Every country trainer and their owners strive to find the right horse to share among the $1.6 million purse Country Championships with each racing association conducting its $150,000 qualifying event over the next two months with the $500,000 Final on the first day of Randwick's The Star Championships on Saturday April 2.
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The second week of the Series will see back-to-back Saturday/Sunday qualifying race-meets at Wagga Wagga (Southern Districts) followed by Taree (Mid North Coast). Mudgee will again host the Central Districts' qualifier meet on February's last Sunday.
The Sundays in March are filled with qualifying meets - in order Tamworth (Hunter and North-West), Coonamble (Western), then the "Wild Card" on the 20th.
To be run at Scone for the first time and over 1400 metres, the Wild Card is a last chance (for placed gallopers of lead-up qualifying races) to make the coveted field at Randwick.
Wagga Wagga conditioner Gary Colvin has set his talented Super One gelding Another One for another tilt for country riches. The four-year-old finished a close second in last year's Final to the Terry Robinson trained Art Cadeau.
Meanwhile, a $300,000 increase to total prizemoney of $1.55m was recently announced by Racing NSW for an expanded Provincial-Midway Championships. It now comprises of seven $150,000 qualifying races, the $500,000 Final scheduled at Randwick Saturday April 9, the second day of The Star Championships.
There will be three races for provincial only trained horses; three races for provincial trained but also "midway" eligible horses (may be city trained however from a small stable); and one "wild-card" race, open to horses that had competed in one of the qualifying races with the first three placegetters qualifying for the Final.
The first qualifying race - for provincial/midway eligible horses, will be conducted at Newcastle on Thursday February 24. This is followed with weekly runnings of other qualifying races at Hawkesbury, Kembla Grange, Gosford and Wyong with its wild-card event at Newcastle on Thursday March 31.
First winners
HE may have finished nineth in the $2m Magic Millions Gold Coast Two-Year-Old Classic, but Stupendo was the first horse home by an all-women owners' syndicate which earnt them a bonus prizemoney via the bloodstock company.
The first winner sired by the Widden Stud based Sebring speedster, Supido when winning in Melbourne late last year, Stupendo has now earned $222,000.
Supido's first representative was promising early season runner and placegetter Kosta's Crown (a $90,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Highway section, via Byerley Stud), which finished second at Ascot, Perth, last October.
This underlines the only catalogued entry by Supido at next week's Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, a colt to be offered via Middlebrook Valley Lodge, Scone.
Coolmore Stud's high profile stallions Merchant Navy and Ribchester, and Aquis' Spieth are other young horses recently represented with first southern hemisphere bred winners as well as having Classic Yearling Sale entries.
By champion Australian sire Fastnet Rock, Merchant Navy - a Group 1 winner in Melbourne as well as Royal Ascot in England, had first winners with Galaxy Affair winning at Ascot in Perth, and In The Navy at South Australia's city meet at Gawler.
Merchant Navy set a new benchmark in the auction-ring when Ciaron Maher/Best Bloodstock paid $700,000 for the half-sister to Group 1 winner September Run at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
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A four times Group 1 winner by former New Zealand shuttler Iffraaj, Ribchester is another who sired his first Australian winner - Plymstock winning at Randwick. Serving two southern hemisphere seasons, Ribchester has two fillies at the Sale.
Having two colts at the Sale, Spieth is a handsome New Zealand bred son of Thorn Park, son of Nureyev's outstanding sire son Spinning World.
A dual Group 1 placegetter and stakes winner, Spieth has had two winners.
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