Shortly after Casino Kid won Sunday's $100,000 Dubbo Gold Cup, trainer Jan Bowen turned to owner Daniel Morice and half-jokingly asked if he would now send the gelding to a city trainer.
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Morice simply shook his head, and it's clear it would take something drastic for him to part ways with a trainer he feels such a strong connection with.
"I just want to thank Jan and her whole team," an emotional Morice said after the cup win.
"They've been very good to me over many, many years and I really appreciate it.
"It's onwards and upwards for the team and the horse. We love it."
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Casino Kid is a horse on the up and his rise could go all the way to November's $2 million Big Dance after Sunday's win.
The Dubbo Gold Cup is one of 25 country feature events which offers eligibility for the Big Dance, which will headline the Melbourne Cup Day meeting at Royal Randwick.
Casino Kid is firmly in the mix after scoring the kind of win Bowen and Morice knew he was all too capable of.
"He's been knocking on the door," Bowen said, having seen Casino Kid run second at Randwick last start.
"He's a good galloper and he just gets back that bit and he's got to have that bit of luck to get through but he showed what he can do today.
"If he sees daylight at the 200 (metres) then shut the gate. He's really going well."
Having almost exclusively raced in Sydney in recent times due to his quality, Casino Kid jumped a $3.60 favourite in Sunday's feature event.
A host of metropolitan and provincial chances in the race had been scratched prior to Sunday and while a handful remained, the door was open to the country hopes in the 1600m cup.
One of those bush chances, Dubbo-trained Notabadidea ($61), led the way early on while The Long Run ($101) and A Magic Zariz ($15) - trained by Sunday's Vince Gordon Flying winner Brett Robb - also got forward alongside the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Aeecee Express ($13) in the opening stages.
Cognac ($6) settled in second behind Notabadidea as the field fell into place while Buckley and Casino Kid sat third from the back and waited for their chance.
Buckley settled on the rails and as the field turned for home the opportunity presented itself.
It was Two Big Fari ($8.50) and A Magic Zariz taking control of proceedings from Notabadidea but Casino Kid found clear air and burst clear.
He hit the line well and won by a length-and-a-quarter while Two Big Fari and Prince of Helena ($6) filled the minors.
"We thought we were a big chance but you never want to be too overconfident," Bowen said, before looking at the Big Dance.
"That's what we're all heading for ... hopefully we get to the Big Dance."
The result made it two wins and a second in the past three starts for Casino Kid and took his overall record to six wins in 28 career starts.
As a result of finishing second, Two Big Fari is now also eligible for a place in the Big Dance for Newcastle trainer Todd Howlett.
Benchmark rating at the time of final acceptances for the Big Dance will be used to determine the final field, with the winners of eligible cups receiving preference over second placegetters.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
