Greg Bennett will have three runners in Sunday’s Country Championship Wildcard at Muswellbrook as he strives to qualify two of them for the final and retire from training at the scene of one of his greatest triumphs, last year’s final win with Clearly Innocent.
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“I will not be training past the first of April,” Bennett said.
“I will be taking a couple of weeks to tidy things up here at Scone before we head north.”
The trainer, who has accepted the role of head of education of horses as Aquis Farm in southern
Queensland, rates All Summer Long as the best of his three given his third in the Scone heat.
“He drew wide and got a long way back and may have been a tad unlucky,” Bennett said.
“He won’t be getting as far back this time over the shorter distance and neither will the other two.”
“The 1280m will suit Innvienna while Sassaby’s sixth at Scone was a good effort.”
Greg Ryan rode All Summer Long at Scone but Mitchell Bell goes on to the horse with Ryan to ride the Pat Farrell trained Alliterate.
Rachel King remains on Invienna and Rachael Murray on Sassaby.
All Summer Long is a $4 favourite with the TAB, ahead of Ever So Natural, who was third in last year’s Final and has been three times a runner up in the Country Championship series.
First and second from the Wildcard go into the $400,000 final at Randwick on April 1.
- Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign has been confirmed for Yu Long's slot in the October 14 Everest. Scott Darby signed an agreement with Yu Long Investments this week for the filly to represent their slot in the Everest. After a week of negotiations, She Will Reign's owners, which include Tamworth couple Andrew and Bianca Pieper, have agreed to a prizemoney split, which will return them more prizemoney than her Golden Slipper win should she win the Everest. The first confirmed horse for a slot in the $10 million race, trainer Gary Portelli said they will probably go to the Moir Stakes over 1000m at Moonee Valley and then straight into the Everest.
