The 2024 Newhaven Park Country Championship Series gets underway this weekend with the Northern Rivers Region qualifier taking place at Lismore on Saturday … weather permitting. The track is currently listed as a Heavy 8 with rail predicted throughout Friday.
Murwillumbah based trainer Matthew Dunn has loaded up for the Lismore qualifier with the stable set to send out half of the fourteen-strong field and the pre-race betting indication is that Dunn has a clear stranglehold on the race.
Five horses have been marked up in single figures and they all come from the Dunn stable.
Emperor, the current ruling favourite at $3.90 with online bookmakers, has a Highway win at Randwick to his credit as well as a Saturday metropolitan win at Eagle Farm over 1200m two runs back. He was also a close-up second at Eagle Farm over 1400m in his last start … so he should be well primed for this Country Championship assignment with Brodie Loy to ride.
Second favourite, at $4, is the lightly raced three-year-old colt Fukubana, an impressive last start winner at a Saturday metropolitan meeting at Eagle Farm over 1200m. The son of Dundeel has yet to finish out of the first three having recorded two wins, one second and one third placing in his four-start career to date.
Fukabana will have a fifth different jockey in the saddle in as many starts with Ben Looker appearing to get the nod here, after the colt had previously been ridden by Ben Thompson, Josh Parr, Brodie Loy (who goes onto Emperor here) and Jimmy Orman.
Dunn’s six-year-old chestnut Rainbow Connection is next on offer at $5.50 while the stable companions Belvedere Boys and Tribeca Star are quoted at $8 and $9 respectively.
Dunns other runners are Veandechance ($19) and Ash Ash Lad ($34).
As usual, final scratchings are on race-day and it should be noted that at this stage Ben Looker is listed as the rider of both Fukubana and Rainbow Connection and Luke Rolls is currently listed as the rider of both Veandechance and Belvedere Boys, so some movement will have to take place there either in terms of scratchings or jockey changes.
The first and second horse in each regional race will qualify for the $1 million Newhaven Park Country Championships final to be held at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Saturday April 6, Day 1 of The Championships.
