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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Brett Robb isn’t underestimating the task he has to win this year’s Country Championships with his headliner Gallant Star and won’t be leaving anything to chance.

Trainer Brett Robb (Pic: Grant Guy)

That’s because Robb, who won the 2023 Country Championships with Sizzle Minizzle, really only has one shot to get it right and qualify last year’s runner-up in both the Western district and the Final for 2025.

The four-year-old’s easy win in the Barn Dance back in November was his fifth career win so another would see him ineligible to contest his district qualifying race at Coonamble on March 16.

Robb said Gallant Star spelled exceptionally well and in the early stages of his build up is a little bit excited about what lies ahead.

“He had three weeks out after winning the Barn Dance,’’ Robb said.

“He let down really well, he spelled well. It’s hard to say yet but I think he’s come back a lot better in the mind.

“I know we haven’t got to the races yet but he seems to be getting bigger and stronger and more and more confident every time he goes out and comes back.

“That’s the feel he gives me at home.”

The plan for Gallant Star, likely one of the favourites to win the Final, is to have three solid barrier trials before the Coonamble race.

The Dubbo trainer is wary that the gelding appeared a little flat in his second run of the spring, when sixth in The Kosciuszko, and that the Country Championships Final will be his second-up assignment.

That’s unless he misses the top two and has to go through the Southern Wild Card, which is just six days after Coonamble, where he’d need to win.

“It’s going to be hard to do,’’ Robb said.

“I was scratching my head after the Kosciuszko, you saw the way he let down in the Barn Dance and put them away but in the Kosciuszko he flattened out at about the furlong.

“I don’t know whether he had a bit of second-up syndrome.

“The way he put them away in the Barn Dance was pretty impressive. I want to have him pretty revved up first-up.

“He’ll have three good barrier trials, some trips away, hopefully we’ll have him right.”

Robb is hoping to get the lightly raced Deion to Coonamble despite finishing near the tail in Saturday's TAB Highway at Wyong.

He was first-up from a spell and Robb said he was set a task from his outside barrier is adamant he has time on his side for the five-year-old to earn his way to the Country Championships.

Gallant Star runs second in the 2024 Country Championships Final

“I know he didn’t have a lot of luck, we drew wide and got back and stayed wide,’’ he said.

“He’s a nice horse in the making, he’s maturing and once we stretch him out over 1400m he’s going to be a handy horse.”

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