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By Tony Megahey

Rising Central District’s trainer Clint Lundholm is using Monday’s Coonamble TAB meeting as the final guide for three runners that are set for the upcoming $150,000 Dubbo leg of the Country Championships, and said Greg Ryan’s opinion again will be invaluable.

The prolific Ryan is the regular rider of Clint’s promising four-time winner Joey’s Destiny contesting the Annapro WRA Championship Preview Class 4 (1300m) along with stablemates Dreadlock (Andrew Banks) and Tuncoona (Michael Hackett). Ryan previously has ridden all three.

He has ridden countless winners over decades for the renowned Dubbo racing family, but will also be in strong demand from other local stables for the regional Championships leg on the 25th.

Ryan, who has surpassed a phenomenal 3500 career wins this season, is likely to have priority of the region’s leading prospects.

“Greg comes over and gives me hand riding work once a week and there's no better judge on how they are going, and he’s riding a couple of mine on Monday,” offered Lundholm, who has numerous contenders throughout a strong seven-race program. “My three in the main race have all been super consistent with upside but we haven’t had any luck drawn wide in a big field.”

This is the final lead-up to the Championships Qualifier and it’ll be a hot race so we’ll know where we stand going into it. But Joey’s Destiny is a four-race winner, progressive and with a nice turn of foot to race on pace.

“He’s fitter second-up and off a trial. Dreadlock has been just so honest and often unlucky, I mean he’s run 11 seconds from 18 starts, but he’s also fitter from a spell. Same with the mare Tuncoona, she’s got upside, just puts in every time, she’s won three for us and been placed most of the others - she’ll be competitive again.

“Like the others we’re hoping she’ll make enough progression for the big race.”

Of his others runners, Clint rates Zouzoom in the second race, and Tickets Ladies (Ryan) in the fifth event as value chances. “Zouzoom trialled nicely and just ran out of puff at his first run and it’ll be improved and has shown ability. Tickets Ladies has always shown promise, might be our best chance, is well drawn with Greg on and off decent placings at Dubbo and Narromine.”

Wyong trainer Damien Lane and Dubbo’s Garry Lunn have strong contenders throughout a raceday consisting of mostly capacity fields. The Coonamble track at presently rated a soft 6 with fine weather predicted.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Coonamble here