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By Greg Prichard

Volcanic Love has done a lot of travelling over the last 15 months to calm his nerves by way of repetition and the result is a horse ready to explode in the $150,000 Evergreen Turf NRRA Country Championships over 1400 metres at Lismore on Saturday.

Trainer Scott Henley (Pic: Grant Guy)

“He used to be a nervous horse, used to stress a lot,” Volcanic Love’s trainer, Scott Henley, said.

“He’d panic a bit if a car drove past him next to the track, but not now.

“We’ve travelled him around everywhere and he’s gotten used to being on a truck and then seeing a different environment when he comes off it.

“He’s been to Brisbane quite a few times and Sydney a couple of times as well and that has done a lot to help prepare him for a Country Championships series.

“These days he’s bullet-proof, doesn’t stress. He has no problems at all now. He’s shaken off the nerves and come into his own.”

Volcanic Love’s first three starts were all at his home track, Grafton, but after that - from December, 2023 - he began hitting the road regularly.

Out of his 13 starts since, eight have been in Brisbane and two in Sydney, with the other three at Grafton, Lismore and Coffs Harbour.

That run at the qualifier venue, Lismore, was Volcanic Love’s first of his current campaign and the aim was to get him experience on what can be a tricky track for horses not used to it.

He passed the test, winning a Country Class 3 Handicap over 1110 metres on a Heavy 8 surface.

“There’s a bit of uphill and downhill down the back at Lismore and it gets a bit tight around the corner, but he did well,” Henley said.

“It was a box we wanted to tick and I wouldn’t mind if we got some decent rain heading into Saturday because although he’s raced very well on good tracks too he really enjoyed the heavy that day.”

The four-year-old gelding has gone on to make it two wins and a second from three starts this campaign and is racing in the best form of his career.

As usual in the NRRA district, Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn’s representatives will be among the hardest horses to beat. But Henley likes the look and feel of his galloper, which he rides in trackwork.

The first and second placegetters in Saturday’s race will qualify for the $1 million Evergreen Turf Country Championships Final over 1400 metres at Randwick on April 5.

“It’s always the challenge to beat Matt Dunn in a race like this,” he said. “If you beat Matt Dunn, you’re a chance.

“But I’m really only worried about my horse and he’s in great order. He’s come through his last-start win in Brisbane well and he’s very happy in himself.

“He’s improved and that was always the plan, you know, to go into this race on the up.

Volcanic Love wins at Doomben on February 1

“He’s won at 1400, so the distance isn’t an issue. This is the race he was set for going back a while now and I can’t fault him this week. His work has been great.

“He looks a million dollars, feels a million dollars, and now we want to qualify for a million-dollar race.

“Jai Williams will ride him in the qualifier and he’s a star in the making, this kid. He’s a really good apprentice and I’ve got plenty of confidence in him.”

All the entries, form and replays for Saturday's Country Championships meeting at Lismore meeting