For the third straight year Peter Nestor will head to $400,000 final of the Country Championships but for the second straight year it won’t be after winning the Qualifier at Dubbo Turf Club.
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Nestor’s La La Loopsy was all the rage in Sunday’s $150,000 feature event.
She was a $3 favourite when the markets opened on Thursday and by the time the 1400m race jumped just after 4.30pm on Sunday she was into $2.10.
And when she and leading jockey Mathew Cahill took the lead midway down the straight it seemed she was all but certain to win.
But then Stoneyrise flashed home on the outside and won the rich event by a length from Nestor’s hope, while Dar Lunn’s outsider Not For Export ($41) was third and just missed out on one of the two automatic spots in the Final.
Nestor was cheering his charge on as loud as anyone down the straight but made no excuses after seeing her just miss out.
“The mare was brave but the winner was just too good on the day,” Dubbo’s Nestor said with his trademark grin after the race.
“It’s no good making excuses, that costs you money in the long run if you like a bet.
“The mare did a great job she was just beaten by a better one on the day.”
La La Loopsy settled fourth after jumping from barrier 11 with Cahill onboard.
She sat behind Garry Lunn’s Strathaird ($41) and Mark Jones’ pair Eagles Dare ($15) and Nordic Noir ($17).
However she failed to kick on and make it five wins from seven starts, but a ticket to the $400,000 Final is a fair consolation.
Nestor has been to the two previous Country Championships Finals, with Dane De Lago and Not A Shadow respectively, however he has never gone any better than a midfield finish.
“It’s a great concept. You race for $150,000 here at Dubbo and I’d like to be doing that once a month,” Nestor laughed when discussing the Country Championships.
“We’ve been lucky. We’ve won one and come second in two but we’ll find another one and win another one somewhere along the line.”
It was the second runners-up finish for Nestor on the day after Danish Lace had earlier run second in the Dalhunty Showcase Handicap (1000m). The sprint brought together some of the region’s best gallopers and Danish Lace ($4.60) battled Lake Lugarno ($2.50 favourite) down the straight before being edged out by a neck.