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By Graeme White

It's the time of the year when the pretenders from the contenders start to emerge for the Newhaven Park Country Championships with some of the possibilities on display at Wagga on Thursday.

Promising filly Invertational lines up against some proven performers in the Jaegers Event Hire Benchmark 66 (1400m) where she is the early favourite with the NSW TAB at $2.40.

Canberra trainer Matthew Kelley is keen to see where Invertational ranks when she starts from the inside barrier with jockey Shaun Guymer aboard.

Invertational is unbeaten in two starts at Wagga and has only raced on four occasions, while the talented Arachidi ($4) won her first two starts before failing at her only other run at Flemington.

The duo has drawn the inside two gates and will run over 1400m for the first time against their more experienced and older rivals.

The topweight This Skilled Cat ($9.50) is a seven-time winner who ran second in the Wodonga Cup – a race in which Wagga’s best galloper Another One finished third and then went on to win the Ted Ryder Cup.

Buzz ‘N’ Joe ($5.50) [pictured left] is in peak firm this campaign with a win and two placings while Nic’s Hero ($13) ran his best race this campaign when second behind Jack’s All Magic which has since won again at Wangaratta.

If Invertational can win, Kelley said the Country Championships were the obvious target.

“It all depends on tomorrow (Thursday) if she can come out and give the same performance,” he said.

“She has come back after a long break in good order and I thought she was impressive last start.

“The main thing is this race will give me a good guide where she is at. It’s nice to have plans for these big races, but the horse has to show it is worthy of it.”

Invertational will contest the $150,000 SERA qualifier at Moruya on Sunday 5 March if she continues to produce the right results.

Kelley also has I’ve Bean Tryin heading the Country Championships with the Randwick Highway winner to contest a trial at Moruya next week.

Arachidi’s ($4.20) trainer Craig Weeding feels his filly will be better suited this time after learning a lot from her last start Melbourne experience: “She was looking for a corner at Flemington and it was a straight race - she was never right in the run,” he said.

Participator ($2.60 fav) – another horse who is being aimed at the Country Championships heat for the SDRA trained horses at Albury – returns to racing in the Jupiter Motors Benchmark 66 (1200m).

The gelding won his first two starts and has been competitive in two Highway races where he has finished second and fourth. Two other Country Championship possibles, Boss Lady Rocks and Rocket Tiger, will compete in a trial after the final race.

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