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By Ray Hickson

Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan has continued his domination of the Newhaven Park Hunter & North West Country Championships (1400m) with Anethole booking his place in next month’s final but his job isn’t over just yet.

Trainer Cody Morgan (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It was Morgan’s third success in the $150,000 feature at his home track in the past four years, following Unbiased (2019) and Ligulate (2020).

But the barrier draw and a heavy track respectively forced Morgan to scratch his two big guns, Edit and Wren’s Day, from the Tamworth race on Sunday and they will be part of what promises to be the race of the Country Championships series in the $50,000 Wild Card (1400m) at Scone on March 20.

Anethole ($9), ridden by Sydney’s premier apprentice Tom Sherry, had a long neck to spare at the finish over Cameron Crockett-trained Commando Hunt ($11), who also booked his spot in the final, with favourite Banju ($3.70) half a length away third after a wide run.

An emotional Morgan said he felt the pressure of expectation coming into the race but is grateful for the support of Australian Bloodstock who syndicated the former Godolphin gelding.

“Luke (Murrell) and Jamie (Lovett) have given me such an opportunity in the last few years and I feel like I’ve underachieved for them, I really do,’’ Morgan said.

“I need to get these results on the board.

“I really thought Wren’s Day could win the race but we pulled him out with the wet track.”

Along with his three Hunter & North West wins, Morgan also qualified Pelerin in 2017 for the Country Championships Final via the Wild Card.

Five-year-old Anethole is now an $8 chance with TAB in the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 2.

Morgan said the gap between runs has been the key to the horse, who was narrowly beaten by South East Country Championships winner Testator Silens at his previous start, and not needing to go to Scone to qualify is huge for his chances.

“He’s wound up, he’s just really tough,’’ he said.

“I speak to Luke Murrell every day and he said, looking at his form pattern, to space his runs. So we did, we went a month between and went to Sydney and ran second and we have another month now.”

Sherry took full advantage of barrier one on Anethole and was able to enjoy a soft run behind the leader, things became a bit tight early in the straight but that proved to be a blessing given he’d ridden the horse in three of his previous four starts.

“You have to ride him like he’s the best horse in the race,’’ Sherry said.

“He jumped very smart. I thought there was going to be a bit more speed than there was coming from the outside.

“Once I did get cover he travelled beautifully and it was just a matter of kidding to him the whole way in the run.

“He always lets down strong but just for a short period of time. He’s always at his best when I’ve ridden him like that and that’s the key to him.”

Commando Hunt’s trainer Cameron Crockett filled the runner-up spot for the second year in a row, following Pure Fuego’s second placing to Spiranac in 2021, and he’s adamant the four week gap is perfect for his horse.

He said the four-year-old, on the $15 line with TAB, will be peaking fourth-up in the Final.

“I look forward to getting this horse to Randwick, he loves Randwick,’’ Crockett said.

Anethole wins the HNWRA Country Championships at Tamworth

“The track may have brought him undone, I don’t know, the other horse did have to do it the hard way where we thought you didn’t want to be but we did get flushed out pretty wide.”

Beaten favourite Banju will add his presence to the Scone Wild Card, with trainer Lyle Chandler surprised at how fresh the horse was given the amount of work the gelding had in the lead up.

Along with Edit and Wren’s Day, who are $13 and $18 with TAB in the Country Championships Final, the Scone race is also likely to feature Shelby Sixtysix, who managed to finish ahead of Nature Strip in running second in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes on Saturday.

All the results and replays from Sunday's Country Championships meeting at Tamworth