The richest race in Upper Hunter history has attracted some Group 1 quality with Embrace set to tackle the Heats of the Ladbrokes Muswellbrook Cup on Sunday.
The 2022 Peter Mosman Opal winner is no stranger to a country sojourn after qualifying for the finals of both the Brother FOX and Chief Havoc Cup in 2023.
The 15-time winner now being set for the $25,000 on offer in the Hunter Valley.
“I looked at the race a couple of weeks ago and after having a bit of success last year travelling to Dubbo and Gunnedah for their country cups, I thought it might be a good change for Embrace,” trainer Craig Chappelow said.
“I enjoy racing in the country and the people are always good to you. The prizemoney on offer for this series is great and they tend to always get good crowds at country carnivals as well.”
The 46-year-old confident his kennel star will relish the conditions of the Muswellbrook race series despite never setting foot on the circuit.
“The grass will be interesting, but I think the extra ground will suit her and she’s going terrific even though she’s on the other side of three now” Chappelow added.
“Being over 570m, it’s not an easy run and you’ve got to be strong. But her work at home is showing she’s keen to race and Box 5 is ok for her. She’ll need a bit of luck, but she seems to prefer wider draws and she’s reasonably versatile.”
Kennelmate Sweet City Gal will also make the trip north, but Box 6 in Heat 1 has done her no favours according to Chappelow.
“We were hoping she’d get near the rail so it will be tricky for her, hopefully she doesn’t crash too hard because she will go left,” he said.
“But Sweet City Gal is capable on her day and I think she’s going better than her form suggests. If either of them can make it into the final, they should really improve.”
The Oakdale-based trainer also keen to see more emphasis placed on the “big bush meetings” in NSW after watching the feats of another jurisdiction with envy over the past few years.
“I like Victoria’s model and maybe we should introduce a similar country festival format up here. Each country cup race seems to be quite prestigious, and the good dogs often go from town to town chasing them,” he said.
“They used to have a big cash bonus if you win three country cups down there too, and all the trainers want to win races like the Warrnambool or Ballarat or Shepparton cups because they are held in high regard. There seems to be more financial motivation for trainers to travel as well.”
Embrace ran third in the 2023 Chief Havoc Cup and eighth in the 2023 Brother FOX final
“I think GRNSW could add a little bit more money to the Heats or to the minor placings of each NSW country event to make the series’ more appealing. At the moment, the disparity between first and the rest is too great in a lot of feature races so you do have to weigh up whether it’s worth travelling or just staying at Wenty Park.”
“But for me, a lot of the racing, rearing and breeding happens out in the bush so if I’ve got a good dog, I’ll always try and support their big days.”
Three Heats of the Ladbrokes Muswellbrook Cup will be contested on Sunday. The $25,000-to-the-winner final will be run on February 4.
