Tamworth Jockey Club general manager Mitch Shaw is urging locals to support the club's Country Championships meeting on Sunday week and celebrate the rejuvenation the recent rains have brought to the area.
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While the drought is far from broken, the situation at Tamworth racecourse - and particularly in Armidale where racing is set to resume this weekend with the $60,000 2020 Armidale Cup - has changed from looking very grim to perfect conditions within the space of a few weeks.
"We'd been making plans for the worst, what we'd do if we ran out of water, but the rain has been incredible,'' Shaw said.
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"It's been incredible to receive eight inches in February alone. That's more than we've received in the nine months I've been here. Nothing beats the gold stuff from the sky.
"The paddocks are green, the mountains are green, Armidale is racing again. There seems to be a spring in everyone's steps."
The $150,000 Hunter & North West Country Championships Qualifier (1400m) is Tamworth's second richest race, after April's Tamworth Gold Cup, and Shaw would love to see more than 2000 people flock to the course and witness the best country racing can offer.
Tamworth Jockey Club is staging a charity event on the day to race money for the local Ronald McDonald House and at least four bars will be in operation, including a unique pop-up bar made out of a horse trailer.
"We're making it a relaxed, picnic type event, and we have picnic hampers for sale and other catering options,'' Shaw said.
"I think it is going to be strongest heat across the whole series. There's a really good chance a local trainer could win.''
Local trainer Cody Morgan will be chasing back-to-back wins in the Country Championships Qualifier after last year's emotional victory with Unbiased, who he trained to win the race for his parents.
Morgan trains two of the first four in TAB betting on the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final (1400m) run at Royal Randwick on April 4 - Mahalangur, formerly trained by the Hawkes stable in Sydney, is equal favourite at $8 while Ligulate is a $9 chance.
The first and second placegetters from Sunday week's race will win spots in the Final.
"Mahalangur trialled on Tuesday night and won the trial looking quite comfortable,'' Shaw said.
"Cody's also got Ligulate and a few others and the likes of Mel O'Gorman and Craig Martin have horses coming through as well.
"To see a Tamworth trainer take it out again would be a great effort.''
Nominations for the Hunter & North West Country Championships meeting on Sunday March 8 close on Tuesday.
