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By Mark Brassel

The Dubbo RSL Club Winter Country Classic has only been staged on four occasions and already Dubbo Turf Club is thrilled with the popularity of the concept.

The Country Classic is a feature race series held during June with heats run on Friday – Kings Hall Jewellers Silver Goblet Showcase Raceday.

Run over 1300m and at Benchmark 58 grade, the Winter Country Classic heats are divided into one for fillies and mares, and the other for colts, geldings and entires.

There will be some great racing action at Dubbo on Friday. Image by Janian McMillan (Racing Photography)

The top seven in each heat qualifies for the Winter Country Classic Final on Monday 26 June.

“The Dubbo RSL Winter Country Classic has attracted a great deal of interest in less than a handful of runnings and is a hotly contested series,” said Sam Fitzgerald, DTC’s general manager.

“Stables from across the Central Districts, Western, Hunter and North West and South East Racing Associations are targeting the event.

“In 2022, it was the Canberra raider Dubai Centre who was the runaway winner of the event for trainer John Rolfe.

“The Winter Country Classic victory was the first of four consecutive victories for Dubai Centre last winter which also included the Narromine Cup.

“This Friday’s meeting is a Racing NSW Country Showcase card with each race carrying a minimum of $30,000 in prizemoney with a total of $260,000 on the day.”

The Silver Goblet is a two-year-old feature worth $40,000 with the winner of the Silver Goblet Preview last month, the Damien Lane-trained Bare to Witness, receiving a ballot exemption.

Mallawa picnics are on Saturday and this meeting forms the second leg of the Golden Triangle in western NSW. Moree kicked off the series last month with Talmoi the final leg on Saturday 24 June.

Talmoi picnics races are run at Garah, just south of the Queensland border, and is popular with families for a picnic lunch and a great day of country racing.

Meanwhile, next Sunday the festivities at Sapphire Coast start at 10am with Joseph/Jones Racing staging a yearling parade at their Shady Lane stables with a champagne brunch, pastries, and tea and coffee supplied.

“Come and see the parade of our new yearling horses recently purchased and peruse our training stables at this great location,” said Barbara Joseph. “Once our parade is over you can attend the Sapphire Coast Jazz Festival race meeting.”

The meeting is termed the Support Services 2 You Jazz Festival Raceday.

“Join us for a dynamic day of horse racing on the long weekend which incorporates the 41st Jazz Festival,” said Jess O'Donnell, SCTC’s sponsorship & marketing manager.

“There’ll be free face painting and free kids activity packs, as well as bars, a kiosk, bookmakers and a TAB with plenty of undercover area and seating. There are also buses to and from the racetrack.”

Also next Sunday, many locals and visitors will gather at Gulgong – about 30km North West of Mudgee – for a great day’s racing and socialising on Gulgong Cup Day.

The afternoon is one of Gulgong’s biggest events with a six-race program and gates opening at midday.

Gulgong Turf Club will have a bar and a canteen with the feature the $14,000 Gulgong Gold Cup (1200m).

Last year’s winner was the locally trained Larynx, ridden by Jake Pracey-Holmes and trained by Brett Thompson, who won by more than a length from Ecker Road.

The pair had a massive day with Thompson preparing four winners and Pracey-Holmes booting home a treble.

UPCOMING NSW COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS
Monday: Goulburn, Bathurst
Tuesday: Taree, Armidale
Thursday: Corowa
Friday: Dubbo, Tamworth
Saturday: Grafton, Parkes (non-TAB), Mallawa picnics (non-TAB)
Sunday: Sapphire Coast, Gulgong (non-TAB)