PETER Nestor admits his gelding Dane De Lago is closer to the end of his racing preparation than the start but he will head to Randwick on Saturday confident the four-year-old can be competitive in the $300,000 Country Championships Final (1400m).
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Nestor saddled up a pair of placegetters at Wellington on Sunday, while up at Muswellbrook the final two runners were booking their spots courtesy of the wildcard heat held in conjunction with the Hunter Valley club's Women In Mining Cup meeting.
Artlee ($4.40, Mitchell Bell) scored a dominant five-length win in the Muswellbrook qualifier, beating home Rose's Song which also qualified for the final.
Such was the dominance of the win, Artlee has now been installed as a $5.50 equal-second favourite behind the Paul Messara-trained Tarangower, which finished second behind Voodoo Lad in the Tamworth heat of the series.
Artlee and Rose's Song will now have to back-up in the space of six days for this Saturday's final, where they will also be joined by the Peter Stanley-trained Hollywood Nell.
Gulgong trainer Brett Thompson withdrew his filly One Last Poet from the final over the weekend, meaning Hollywood Nell gained a place in the 16-horse field courtesy of finishing third behind Binalong Road in the Bathurst qualifier earlier in the month.
Binalong Road, prepared at Mudgee by Mack Griffith, has been rated as an $8.00 chance for the final while Dane De Lago is a $41.00 chance.
Bookmakers give Hollywood Nell and the Gilgandra-trained Yes Zariz little hope in the final, offering odds of 100/1 about either runner taking out the race.
MARKET (courtesy sportsbet.com.au)
4.40 Tarangower; 5.50 Artlee, Without A Shadow, Voodoo Lad; 8.00 Binalong Road; 9.00 Just A Blur; 10.00 Loved Up; 26.00 Yet Tobe Convinced; 41.00 Redwolf, Dane De Lago; 51.00 Rose's Song, Explosive Scene; 101.00 Sheza Gypsy, Kareem's Edge, Hollywood Nell, Yes Zariz
