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By Mark Brassel

Just two slots remain vacant following a frantic week as 14 lucky slot holders scrambled to secure a horse for the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko to be staged at Royal Randwick in four weeks.

Members of the public were invited to purchase $5 sweepstake tickets to win one of the slots for The Kosciuszko with the winners drawn on September 9.

Handle the Truth and Nash Rawiller return after winning the 2019 The Kosciuszko at Royal Randwick. Image by Bradley Photographers

Each winner was then invited to select a NSW country or ACT-trained horse to represent them after agreeing with the horse’s owners as to how they will share the prizemoney for the race.

The top five horses in TAB’s market for The Kosciuszko have already been snapped up by slot holders: Handle the Truth ($6 favourite), Art Cadeau and Victorem ($7), Front Page ($8) and Edit ($11).

Other horses to be selected are Nadaraja ($15), Mister Hussill, Sunrise Ruby, Island Bay Boy, Ice in Vancouver, Plonka (each at $21) and Aheadofhistime ($34).

Nadaraja is one of the latest horses to be secured following a highly impressive near six-length win on his home course at just his third start.

Scone trainer Stephen Jones believes Nadaraja is one of the best gallopers he has put a bridle on: “He's right up there, maybe even the best I’ve trained,” Jones said.

“I’ve had some handy horses over the years, but I think this bloke is right up there with them.

“I didn’t expect him to be that good, a three-year-old racing against more seasoned horses.

“He was very impressive and ran time. He just improves so much every race and has pulled up really well; he’s just a machine.”

Sunrise Ruby, a four-year-old mare, is prepared by Mitch Beer in Albury and bolstered her excellent record of four wins and a second from just six starts with a barnstorming Randwick TAB Highway win in July.

“She has had two trips to Sydney already so that will probably be enough for her,” Beer told Racenet.

“We've been able to give her four or five days in the paddock last week. A lot of people are running to roll the dice at this time of year to try to get their horses a slot.

“We didn't want to compromise her by running her again to get a slot and then for her not to be ready to peak on the day, so we are just working towards having her ready for then.

“We will probably give her a jump out or a trial a fortnight out from the race.”

The Port Macquarie-trained Victorem will be competing in his third The Kosciuszko, having finished fifth and second respectively in 2018 and 2019.

The now seven-year-old and winner of $1.2 million in prizemoney has not started since being unplaced in the Group 1 Stradbroke in Brisbane but won a Gosford barrier trial on August 30.

UPCOMING NSW COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS
Monday: Grafton, Orange
Thursday: Lismore
Friday: Nowra, Scone
Saturday: Gunnedah, Wellington (non-TAB), Corowa (non-TAB)
Sunday: Bathurst, Port Macquarie