The northern border town of Hungerford has a population roughly 60 people.
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There’s every chance there will be more than that in just photographers at Royal Randwick on Saturday for the running of the Country Championships Final.
And James Hatch, the owner-trainer from way up in the north west will be there after setting off to take part in the $400,000 feature on Tuesday morning.
Hatch and his horse Stoneyrise captured the imagination of racing fans all over when he scored a shock win in the Western Districts Qualifier at Dubbo on February 19.
And now the sentimental favourite will jump out for a share in of the rich prize in front of tens of thousands of fans in the 1400m final.
“She’s going to be a big day,” Hatch said in his classic understated outback manner.
“Looking at the races on it’s going to be one of the better races in Sydney.”
And how will his lightly-raced five-year-old handle the fanfare when he parades out at Randwick?
“I think he’ll be alright, he seems to take everything in his stride. Nothing phases him,” he said, before laughing about how he will feel.
“I might be a bit of a problem compared to him.”
Hatch was almost at Nyngan when speaking to the Daily Liberal, with plans to spend Tuesday night around Cowra before pushing on to the outskirts of Sydney by Wednesday evening.
The original plan was to head of Monday but with temperatures on the border hovering around the 42 dgeree mark he opted to wait.
Despite such a long journey Hatch is confident Stoneyrise, who had a jump out at Charleville in outback Queensland recently, will run some sort of race.
“If he just does his best and was to run somewhere in the first five or six then I’ll be happy,” Hatch said.
“But there’s some pretty handy horses in there.”
Hatch was inundated with calls and media requests following the win at Dubbo, adding he had spoken to friends he hadn’t heard from in 20 years.
If he...was to run somewhere in the first five or six then I’ll be happy
- James Hatch on Stoneyrise
It took about 10 days, Hatch said, for all the excitement to subside but it has all ramped up again this week with the Final now so close.
Apprentice jockey Jake Pracey-Holmes will again be in the saddle after guiding the five-year-old to the stunning win at Dubbo, with Hatch not opting to recruit a more high-profile hoop.
“Jake will keep the ride. He’s ridden him a couple of times and we put someone on who knows him,” Hatch said.
“He took the initiative when he didn’t begin well (in the Qualifier) and he knew he had a turn of foot.
“He kept him there until around the 600m and then he used that turn of foot.”
And while the attention is firmly set on Saturday’s rich feature, Hatch knows he has a talented galloper on his hands to work with going forward.
“He’s made you wonder what he’s capable of at the moment with the runs he’s had,” he said.
“When we put him up distance I think he’ll go well there.”