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By Geoff Newling

Real Blonde demolished her opposition at Moree last week and the flashy chestnut mare might be ready to repeat that performance at Tamworth on Sunday.

The four-year-old daughter of Real Saga, who has won five of her 31 starts, was one of 26 nominations for Sunday’s $30,000 TAB.com.au Benchmark 60 Showcase Handicap (1600m).

Trained by Peter Sinclair at Moree, Real Blonde powered through the field to win the final race of last Thursday’s meeting, $20,000 Moree Ag Supplies & Steel Benchmark 60 Handicap (1400m).

Daniel Northey, who had the first race of the day with the Gavin Groth-trained Sound Sleuth, had bounced out last on her and had to bide his time near the tail.

However, he managed to find an opening four or five horses wide in the straight and the mare did the rest, exploding through the pack to beat Peter Mills’s Times Ticking with the Sally Torrens-trained Supreme Goddess third. It was Real Blonde’s fifth career win but her first on her home track.

“You had to put a line through her last start at Gunnedah,” Daniel Northey said of a 10th to Shrapelli on a soft track. “She was back on her home track and the way she went through them she put them away easy.”

Peter Sinclair was just glad to find a good track for a mare he bought from Gary Portelli.

“She just doesn’t like the wet,” he said of the Gunnedah surface which had left her no chance at her previous outing. She’s come a long way since we got her from Gary,” he said. “We were hoping to run her in a big $50,000 picnic race at Dubbo (on Dubbo Cup day).”

"However, she didn’t win those 1000m picnic lead up races to qualify for the rich final at Dubbo. Last week’s Moree win was a nice consolation." Sunday’s 1600m B60 Showcase is one of eight races dispensing almost $250,000 in prizemoney.

View the nominations with full form & race replays for Tamworth's Country Showcase here