The NSW Country horse of the year has yet to be announced, but there's already one certainty – the winner will be from Scone.
Rod Northam's Big Money and Myamira have been shortlisted alongside Paul Messara's Havana for the award. The winner will be announced at a gala event at The Star on August 7.
Big Money has been Northam's headline horse this season, winning the Ramornie Handicap in the past fortnight to add to his group 3 Healy Stakes success at Eagle Farm the start before. Big Money, whose dam Lyn's Money died from a snake bite protecting her last progeny when he was just four days old, has finished in the top two in 11 career starts.
Myamira won the group 3 Belle of the Turf at Gosford in January and also won the South Grafton Cup during the recent carnival.
Havana's stakes success also came in Brisbane via the group 3 Fred Best Classic at Doomben.
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Phil Sweeney will make the short trip up the road to Narrandera with a pair of live chances in the Les Peacock Cup, but reckons it's a horse from further afield who will pose the biggest hurdle on his "home" track.
Jerilderie-based Sweeney will saddle up Cee Cee 'N' Dry and lightly-raced stablemate Kavieng in the feature, but reckons they'll need every of bit of the 62kg burden Parkes Cup winner Sonro is shouldering to come into effect on Sunday.
"He's a tough old horse, that horse," Sweeney said of Sonro. "He [trainer Gino D'Altorio] has set him up for the Narrandera Cup as it's almost his home track. Cee Cee 'N' Dry will have to have the best form out of my two and we'll see if he can beat old Sonro."
John Kissick will launch Cee Cee 'N' Dry from the inside gate and Sweeney has no concerns over the surface at Narrandera after striking wet tracks at Albury and Seymour this campaign.
"They've spent a lot of money at Narrandera and it's getting better every year," Sweeney said. "They put a watering system in there and you can just see it improve."
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Shayne Cramp created history in harness racing circles after training all eight winners on the Mildura card during the week, but there was a jockey who almost made it a clean sweep at Mungindi's cup meeting last weekend.
Inverell-based Terry Treichel booted home five of the six winners on the card, including Tapakeg in the Mungindi Cup. The chance to ride every winner on the card was well and truly alive after he won the first three races, but Shorephil never fired a shot in the fourth.
He nevertheless bounced back on odds-on pops in the last two events for a day to remember at the NSW-Queensland border town.
TAB meetings: Sunday - Narrandera. Monday - Cessnock, Dubbo. Tuesday - Ballina, Goulburn. Thursday - Moree. Friday - Taree, Wagga. Saturday - Lismore.
