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Round two for the Country Championships

Western Plains App

Oliver Brown

18 March 2021, 12:51 AM

Round two for the Country ChampionshipsWinner of the 2021 WRA Country Championship Qualifier was Activation. Pictured are trainer Kody Nestor, Sky Racing commentator Mick Wallace and a few of Activation's part-owners Ben Campbell, Alan Walker with his wife Deidre and Kevin Whitley

Second time was certainly the charm for the remaining races from the 2021 Coonamble Country Championships last week with a couple of local trainers and owners walking away with big wins on their saddles.


The Championships, held at the Coonamble Jockey Club, were originally scheduled for Sunday 14 March but were called off after two races due to rain making the track conditions too unsafe to continue.


The remaining seven races - including the main event, the Western Racing Association Country Championships Qualifier - were rescheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday 16 March.


Most people attending the second day were perhaps not as glamorous as they had been on Sunday, with a few exceptions, but spirits were still high for a great day of racing.


President of the Coonamble Jockey Club, whose job it was to bring the track up to scratch, Ken Waterford said he was incredibly proud of the clubs efforts, which resulted in everything he could have hoped for.


"It was a great day, an unbelievable day, and we had a real good crowd considering what we've been through," Mr Waterford said.

"I just want to say thanks to all the committee who worked so hard on Monday to get this track going - we had a helicopter for two or three hours from the Chadwick family, which saved the day."


According to Mr Waterford, the state of the track on Tuesday rated on a four out of 10, which translated to perfect racing conditions, with just enough give to prevent jarring.


Race two slightly delayed proceedings as Tamworth-trained Hurn Court slipped under the barrier before the race could begin, resulting in a chase all the way around the track before the three-year-old bay gelding was brought under control.


Winners throughout the day came from across Western NSW with a mixture of finishes, some a lot closer than others.


One of these came during the main event, with four-year-old bay gelding Activation, coming from the back of the pack to take the win in the last few seconds.


Dubbo-trained horse Activation just moments after its big win in the 2021 Western Racing Association Country Championships Qualifier.


The victory was highly emotional for one of Activation's owners Alan 'The Reverend' Walker, who was originally from Gulargambone but now lives in Dubbo with his wife Deidre.


Mr Walker fought back tears of joy as he said how proud he was of Activation and its Dubbo-based trainer Kody Nestor, who also trained first and second place at last year's local Country Championship Qualifier.


"Kody Nestor is a great trainer and he's certainly done a great thing on Activation," Mr Walker said.


"We are now eligible to go to Sydney for the big race down there, we had to get a first or a second here today and we've got the first. So we're in the big money in Sydney now, and there's a fair chance we can get it down there too.

"I'm just so thrilled that we got that win today, because we anticipated to win and it has."


Activation and Narromine-trained Wild Rocket will now compete in the $500,000 Country Championships Final on the Royal Randwick track on Saturday, 3 April.


There was only one minor scare on the track on Tuesday, with a jockey from race seven Ken Dunbar coming off Gilgandra-trained Blinkin Nomore's back in the final racing moments of the day.


However, he immediately got up, seemingly unharmed, and hopped in the nearby ambulance so medical staff could make sure.


This race was also notable in that its winner Fearless Mila was trained by Coonamble-born Clint Lundholm who Mr Waterford called "the next legend" of the Coonamble racetrack.


Mr Lundholm said he was thrilled to come away with a win right at the end of the day, after a few disappointments in earlier races, and thanked race organisers for the day.


"I just want to give the club a good pat on the back - they've worked hard to get the day together," Mr Lundholm said.


"The disappointment of losing this on Sunday obviously wasn't great, but they've put their best foot forward, got the track up to 100 per cent today and we got good racing as a result."


Mr Waterford also wished to thank New South Wales Racing and the committee for their support during both days and said he hoped for a strong return at next year's Championships.