Country Championships off and running at Grafton this Saturday

Grafton horse racing
The 2022 Country Championships kick off this weekend with the Northern Rivers qualifier at Grafton.

New South Wales country racing will go to an exciting new level this weekend with the first qualifier for the 2022 Country Championships set to be run and won at Grafton on Saturday.

This year’s edition is set to be the biggest since the series was introduced in 2015, with $1.6 million prizemoney up for grabs across nine races culminating in the $500,000 Country Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 2.

Seven regions will host qualifying races, with one $50,000 Wild Card race scheduled for March 20 at Scone offering a final chance to qualify for the final.

Each of the seven heats will be worth $150,000 in prizemoney, with the first and second horses past the post gaining qualification for the final on Day 1 of The Championships.

A capacity field has been assembled for Grafton’s (Northern Rivers) qualifier on Saturday, where David McColm’s three-year-old gelding Far Too Easy ($2.30) dominates the market.

The second qualifying heat will be run at Nowra (South East) on Sunday, which sees a much more open market.

Jean Dubois and Tommy Berry combine with the Group-performed Arnaqueur ($4.80), while recent Highway winner Testator Silens ($9.50) will look to build on his impressive record and book a spot in the final at Randwick.

Another double-header will be held on the second week of the series, with Wagga (Southern Districts) and Taree (Mid North Coast) holding their meetings on February 19 and February 20 respectively.

Seven days after Taree’s qualifying race is run and won, Mudgee (Central Districts) will host its February 27 meeting, before Tamworth (Hunter & North West) races on the following Sunday, March 6.

The final heat of the series will be contested at Coonamble (Western) on March 13, just seven days before the Wild Card race.

Each race day will include on-course activities for the entire family, with plenty of food and dining options.

Far Too Easy is currently the $6 favourite at to take out the Country Championships Final, while Edit ($7), Akasawa ($11), Another One ($11) and Arnaqueur ($11) all share the third line of betting.

2022 Country Championships schedule

  • Saturday, February 12 – Grafton (Northern Rivers)
  • Sunday, February 13 – Nowra (South East)
  • Saturday, February 19 – Wagga (Souther Districts)
  • Sunday, February 20 – Taree (Mid North Coast)
  • Sunday, February 27 – Mudgee (Central Districts)
  • Sunday, March 6 – Tamworth (Hunter & North West)
  • Sunday, March 13 – Coonamble (Western)
  • Sunday, March 20 – Scone (Wild Card)
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