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By Graeme White

The girls will be out in force from the stables of trainer Norm Gardner with potential Country Championships contenders on show at Wagga on Tuesday.

There are several hopefuls in a couple of races at Wagga that will line up in the Newhaven Park Country Championships at Albury and Moruya over the next couple of months.

Trainer Norm Gardner

Gardner is hopeful last start winners Destructive Diva and Miss Ghent can land the prize with both in at Moruya on March 3, but firstly the former needs to win the 000 Plumbing Services Benchmark 66 (1200m) to 8boost her rating.

Destructive Diva is likely to be his only starter in the last race on Tuesday with Miss Ghent to be saved for a TAB Highway in Sydney.

Miss Ghent is the $4.60 favourite on the NSW TAB at Wagga, but with her likely scratching, that will shorten the odds of the likes of Destructive Diva ($5.50) Doogan’s Design ($5.50) and I Am Sugoi ($6).

“I think you will need a Benchmark of around 70 to get a start at Moruya so Destructive Diva needs to win a race before then to guarantee a start,” he said.

Gardner accepted with three last start winners at Wagga in his list of five but is only likely to run four.

The number of mares Gardner has in his stables at Canberra is one of the highest of any trainer, but it’s not something he has set out to do.

“I counted up and of the 22 I have in work 19 are mares,” he said.

“One year, I bred four foals and they were all fillies and one of my owners Reg Keene only buys fillies so I suppose the numbers have just built up.”

Keene, a retired stockbroker from Sydney, races the gallopers with the prefix of “Miss” with Gardner.

His list of winners has included Miss Ghent, Miss Ostend and Miss Antwerp, while he also bought a filly at the Magic Millions sales on the Gold Coast.

Gardner also plans to have Dorami in the South East Country Championships and could have three of his girls in the one race.

As for Destructive Diva on Tuesday, Gardner believes she will be competitive off a break with her last start resulting in a victory at Goulburn on October 3.

She made up a lot of ground late when accounting for subsequent winner Whisker To Whisker.

“Her two unplaced runs have been at Randwick and she is first-up off a break in country grade,” he said.

“She is in the right race and her work has been very strong.”

I Am Sugoi is unbeaten in two starts, Doogan’s Design has won her past two appearances and there are others with strong credentials.

Clever Art will wear blinkers for the first time at her second start this campaign, while Laurel Hill has drawn the inside alley and can be expected to figure after finishing fourth at her latest start.

Dupride Star has her share of ability and is first-up from a spell with a wide alley and is rated an $18 chance.

The mare is likely to contest the Southern Districts Country Championships at Albury on Sunday, February 18.

Gardner will also run last start Wagga winner Single Beat in the Wagga Wagga Early Years Learning Centre Class 1 (1300m).

The three-year-old has again drawn well enough to settle on the speed, according to her trainer.

“I think she has improved a bit more on her work since that win. It is hard to win a maiden then a Class 1, but she can be right up on the speed so we will ride her the same as last time,” he said.

“Since the earmuffs have gone on she isn’t over-racing and that has helped her a lot.”

Some 25mls of rain on Sunday night has the track rated as a Soft 6 which Gardner said would suit his other runner Cyborg in the Riverina Signmakers Benchmark 74 (1400m).

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