Coffs Harbour trainer Brett Dodson, a former Tamworth apprentice and trainer, is probably thinking more about the Country Championships than Christmas right now as promising three-year-old Pace Stick prepares to kick off his second campaign at Wyong on Thursday.
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It's less than two months until the 2020 series begins with the $150,000 Northern Rivers Qualifier, run for the first time at Coffs Harbour, on February 15.
A striking chestnut-grey gelding, Pace Stick created a huge impression with his home track debut win in June and Dodson is making the trip to Wyong for the Rokbuilt Handicap (1200m) to help season the horse.
"I wanted to start him in a 1200m race and this came up and I think the trip away will do him good,'' Dodson said.
"He had his first start here (at Coffs Harbour) and a trial down the road at Grafton so I don't mind taking him away to help him for the future.
"He definitely has the potential to be a Country Championships horse. I think 1400m is going to suit him later on.
"He's got the ability for sure but he's had one start for one win. We have a long way to go but we keep setting the bar and if he can hurdle it we're going to be a chance at the big money.
"You have to aim high and hopefully he steps up to the plate.''
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Dodson is happy to remain conservative at this stage about Pace Stick's future but said he couldn't have been more impressive in winning on debut and has strengthened up with the break.
The gelding did plenty of work early in winning over 1205m, Punter's Intelligence sectional data showed he ran the 1000m-800m in 10.97 before finding the lead and cruising to an almost four length win.
"He just took 50 yards to get going last time then picked up the bit and travelled well,'' he said.
"I don't think it was an overly strong field at that stage but it's the way he did it and the way he trialled the other day it looks like he has come on since.''
Jockey Matthew Bennett makes the trip to Wyong to partner Pace Stick who opened a $3 chance with TAB.
Unfortunately, Dodson has lost promising mare Hellenism, who won impressively on the same day as Pace Stick, to another trainer but among his potentials for the Country Championships are lightly raced four-year-olds Galway and The Memory Man who will likely return next month.
But it seems Pace Stick is racing for top billing at Wyong.
"The main aim is still a couple of months away and if he did happen to win a race at the provincials he would come in at a pretty high rating,'' he said.
"Then I could really work around the Championships, probably give him one more run and we'd get him set that way.
"With that sort of money on your doorstep you have to aim anything eligible that has ability, give the owners the chance to win that money and give them the opportunity to go to Sydney for the final."
