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By Doug Ryan

High-flying local family of trainers Bob Milligan and son, Glen, have a three-pronged attack to grab their third win in the $150,000 Newhaven Park Mid North Coast Country Championships (1400m) at Manning Valley Race Club's record $370,000 prizemoney meeting at Taree on Sunday.

Bob has involved his family in heat wins with Another Valley in 2016 and Charmmebaby last year and has his hopes with Being Naughty whereas his son is the trainer of Vicky's One and Swamp Nation.

Bob has relied on Glen since being badly injured in a horse accident but in the past year or so Glen has branched out buying racing propositions and finding owners,h is first priority in that score is also involving Bob and his wife Margaret.

Glen showed his prowess in buying mare Charmmebaby for $14,000, the horse also winning the Taree Cup and in Brisbane to take its prizemoney to nearly $434,000.

His buys have been aimed at winning the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final over 1400m at Royal Randwick on April 2 but in doing so Bob's four-year-old gelding cost only $12,000, Vicky's One $6000 and Swamp Nation $8000.

A look through the purchase prices of their opposition on Sunday will show that getting into racing can be cheap where the prizemoney is terrific, right down to the horse which finishes 10th on Sunday getting $3500.

Sunday's race is one of the most open carded where long-time trainers do battle against gallopers bought cheaply, in good form, by new trainers on the block. Some have never won over 1400m but not so Being Naughty and Vicky's One.

Bought and named as a joke by Glen in his wife's honour, the horse has had 11 starts for two wins and two placings, one of those wins being over 1500m in the heavy at Port Macquarie on November 11.

This will be the three-year-old filly's third run back from a nine-week let up and last start it wasn't disgraced in running a head second to Swamp Nation over 1200m in the heavy at Port on February 6, third being heat rival Par Avion, trained by Terry Evans at Tuncurry, that galloper having won four races, two of them at Taree.

Jockey Grant Buckley has chosen Vicky's One as his mount in preference to Being Naughty when fourth at its last start at Taree.

"She needs the speed on and she has proven she can run up to a mile," Glen said of his filly. "She is a nice filly and will be strong late."

As for Being Naughty, he said last start was too short and it has been set and handles the 1400m of the qualifier. And Swamp Nation: "She is a little filly which tries hard."

Evans is confident that four-year-old mare Par Avion, to be ridden by ace Newcastle jockey Andrew Gibbons, needed its last run and will strip ready for the distance, the horse having won twice at it at Taree.

"She had a swayback, that is why she was so cheap ($4500) but a full-sister to her sold for $190,000 at the recent Inglis Sales," he said.

An interesting runner is Taree five-year-old mare Gold Bracelet, trained by head owner Ross Dawson, the horse having won a barrier trial at Taree recently. She won five races and was thought by Dawson to be a big hope in last year's Qualifier but she pulled up sore before the race and it has taken nearly a year to have her ready again.

"Forget her recent runs, as she is in good order; she will run the 1400m on her ear and the track suits.

Coffs Harbour jockey Raymond Spokes was on Gold Bracelet's for her five wins and again takes the mount. Former top jockey Peter Graham, Joe Burges and Grant Jobson, new licensed trainers, are excited to have their first gallopers in the Newhaven Park Mid North Coast Country Championships.

Graham's five-year-old mare Gold Card has only had four starts for two wins and rates it "unbelievable" to have it running. He told the owner that she is "pretty good" and "I am excited to have a horse in the race."

Burges has the only galloper in the field to have won a Sydney Highway race in four-year-old gelding Markwell Dreamer. That was two starts back and then it was unlucky when beaten two lengths in its next start in a Highway.

"He (horse) looks a picture and he is the first horse I bought to take up training," he said.

Jobson is friends with the Milligans and three-year-old gelding Imatruestar is his first racehorse in also only recently taking up professional training.

"His last race was good (second after a win at Taree) and he is in unchartered territory. The race is full of possible winners, so strap yourself in!!

SELECTIONS
RACE 1: WATER DOVE 1, FRENCH MARINE 2, CROWNED PRINCESS 3.
RACE 2: LOVERSFIELD 1, OUR FOX 2, DO AS YOU'RE TOLD 3.
RACE 3: MAURICENTLY 1. TAILORING 2, SOLAROSA 3.
RACE 4: MISS LAQUETTA 1, NEW REPUBLIC 2, TOPENDER 3.
RACE 5: MR EIGHTY EIGHT 1, BROAD OUTLOOK 2, LORD BRONN 3.
RACE 6: VANDANGLE 1, DOOLIE 2, BUT I KNOW 3.
RACE 7: VICKY'S ONE 1, PAR AVION 2, GOLD BRACELET 3.
RACE 8: TING TONG 1, HIGHBURY 2, PRINCESS AMIRA 3.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Taree here