It’s not all about the Country Championships Central District Qualifier this weekend, with some trainers casting their eye towards the Western heat at Dubbo Turf Club next month.
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While trainers from the likes of Mudgee, Orange and Bathurst will race for a ticket to the $500,000 final at Randwick this weekend, their counterparts from Dubbo and further west will contest their Qualifier on March 25.
Justin Stanley is one of the trainers targeting that $150,000 race and one of his main hopes, Coming In Hot, resumes from a spell at Mudgee on Sunday.
He will contest the Gooree Park Wines 10th Birthday Celebration Benchmark 65 Showcase Handicap (1200m), alongside fellow Dubbo-trained hopefuls Joey’s Destiny and Tuncoona, both resuming for Clint Lundholm.
“We’ll give it a crack,” Stanley said.
“He’s a nice horse and he’s had a long spell and he was still a colt last preparation so we gave him the snip and put him out for awhile.
“Sunday will be more of a stepping stone for him. He had a nice trial at Gilgandra but he might need the run.”
Coming In Hot contested last year’s Qualifier but “over-raced and did a lot wrong” before finishing in eighth spot.
Now gelded and more mature after almost a year-long spell, Stanley feels he’s got a much better horse on his hands.
“He’s developed in the body and he’s a stunning looking horse now,” he said, before laughing about the four-year-old’s attitude.
“Mentality-wise he’s more focused on racing now while he was probably more focused on girls at the end of last preparation.
“He’s come back nicely.”
Ideally, Stanley said he’d have Coming In Hot race at Mudgee and then Coonamble before tackling the rich Qualifier at Dubbo.
“Two runs would be perfect for him,” he said.
“He races good but he’s better on the fresher side.”
Stanley has two other hopes at Mudgee in the form of Good Host and You Know Zon.
Good Host will race in the $40,000 Country Showcase Maiden Plate and is an outsider for the Championships if he can raise his benchmark between now and the end of March.
The same goes for Party Bag, who will race at Gunnedah on Saturday.
Racing starts at 12.55pm at Mudgee on Sunday.