Pelerin won the Tamworth horseman the chance to win his first $400,000 Country Championship (1400m) at Randwick on April 1 when he came from last to win the $50,000 Wild Card (1300m) at Scone on Sunday.

Transferred from Muswellbrook because of the wet weather Pelerin appreciated the wide open spaces at Scone to zoom down the extreme outside and run down Scone gelding After All That in the Wild Card.

Unlucky All Summer Long was third for Greg Bennett and Craig Martin’s Mapmaker a good fourth.

Pelerin had drawn wide while stablemate Art D’Amour, one of the race favourites, had drawn inside but got stuck on the heavier going.

Cody Morgan thought both his horses were good chance despite the wideness in betting.

His brother, Luke, had ridden Art D’Amour and he had ridden Pelerin in a track gallop last Tuesday and when they had finished told his brother: “I think this’ll win.”

“Luke looked at me funny.”

Pelerin paid $18 on the NSW Tote and while he had drawn wide Cody thought the wide draw might have worked in his favour given the amount of rain in the Upper Hunter this week.

Pelerin, a lightly-raced son of New Approach, is also a family horse.

“Dad (Glenn Morgan) bought him off Darley,” he said.

“They told him to give him 12 months. We did.”

Winning jockey Grant Buckley rode Pelerin like he was the best horse in the race and reaped rich rewards.