Smith has nominated Lockdown Gamble and Intense Passion for the one of those big country races, the Central District Racing Association country championship qualifier in Mudgee on Sunday.

Since the series' inception, the CDRA heat has attracted a field of real quality, with 14 horses normally at the top of their games gathering at the barriers at Mudgee. There's always been a list of equally credentialed horses as emergencies, too.

The 2022 heat, however, is down in quality, in some respects.

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Where an open field had become the norm in previous years, Smith believes there's probably only "six or seven" genuine hopes of winning the $150,000 race on Sunday.

Nominations for the 1400-metre qualifier were fielded on Tuesday, and Smith points to the fact a maiden horse is in the field, while a couple of class-one calibre runners have also jagged a place in the heat this year.

It's a void in quality that's not surprised Smith.

He said at the moment it'll cost a trainer in regional NSW as much as $70,000 to have a horse capable of winning a race like the country championship at their stables.

"I know for us, and our personal experience, you can see with how well the industry is going ... you're asking smaller country guys like myself to fork out $60,000 or $70,000 to purchase a horse capable of winning these races. It's out of our grasp," Smith said.

"We're lucky, this fella, Lockdown Gamble is a home-grown horse and the owner, Terry, he picked him up after his previous owner was battling during the drought ... but that's the luck of the draw.

"The place we're in, in our region, to compete, unless we can grow and attract city clients and those horses attack country meetings, we're going to be left behind."

Smith says Lockdown Gamble is primed to push some seriously good horses in Sunday's heat, having won by half-a-length at Dubbo on February 13.

That win was over 1300m, and the four-year-old bay's previous run over the same distance also netted a win at Tyers Park.

Ahead of a 1400m run at Mudgee, Smith says it's more-than-decent form, although the invaders set to travel up to Mudgee from Bathurst will be serious opposition.

Heading that field will be Gayna Williams' Zoo Station. The five-year-old chestnut mare has two highway wins at Rosehill under her belt.

"She'd be the even-money favourite. El Mo will be up there too and won his last trial in Bathurst ... all the main threats look to be from Bathurst," Smith said, with Roy McCabe's Know Where To Look and The Drover an impressive duo.

"And Mack's horse (Amicus Curiae) showed potential early on. He's taken him down to highways and drawn wide and drawn wide and drawn wide. I think you'll see a sharp improvement there, especially with Hughie Bowman on board."

And as for Lockdown Gamble?

"It's been good to see him pop up in his last two. He's always shown ability. We're peeking at the right time, I think we're well placed for Sunday."

Wellington trainer Michael Mulholland won last year's qualifier with Old Harbour and he'll be back to defend his crown after nominating last-start winner Dubbo Wanderer for Sunday's event.

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