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By Ray Hickson

An astute observation from jockey Anthony Cavallo enabled Newhaven Park Central Districts Country Championships winner Zoo Station to book her trip to Sydney with her narrow win at Mudgee on Sunday.

Jockey Anthony Cavallo (Pic: Steve Hart)

It was a triumph for Bathurst trainer Gayna Williams who qualified both Zoo Station and the luckless Tags for the $500,000 Final but, while it was a matter of what could have been for the runner-up, the winner’s nature proved the difference.

Cavallo made the bold move to ride for luck on the favourite Zoo Station after earlier results told him it would be difficult for the mare to come around the field and win.

“I had one thing in my mind, I was watching races all day and was on a couple of them they just weren’t coming down the outside and swooping,’’ Cavallo said.

“If you’re going good enough they can usually make their own luck. I had to ride for a bit of luck, we poked through and she’s a courageous horse.

“At about the 100m mark she spotted something and half propped a bit and I thought don’t throw it away but she got going again. She deserves her place in the Final.”

Zoo Station firmed to $11 with TAB after the while Tags sits at $18 and Williams said there’s not a lot between the two horses on ability.

But when it comes to race sense Zoo Station has it all while Tags, who missed the start by five lengths, is still on a learning curve.

“She’s wonderful, tough honest mare,’’ Williams said.

“We had planned to have her fresh for this because she loves to race fresh.

“All she wants to do is be a racehorses, nothing fazes her. You feed her, you work her, she says ‘what next’.

"I think he’s (Tags) probably a touch more talented but he just waits for them to jump and follows them around.”

It was Williams’ second win at Mudgee in a Country Championships, Healing Hands won in 2020, and this year will be the fifth time she has qualified a horse for the Final.

Zoo Station prevailed by a neck over Tags, the early leader Lockdown Gamble was a similar margin away in third.

Williams’ third runner El Mo beat one horse home but she said the seven-year-old needed the hit out and is keen to give him a second chance in the Wild Card at Scone on March 20.

Zoo Station wins the CDRA Country Championships

“They all went great, they are all genuine horses and both have plenty of ability. El Mo is a bit rusty and has been out of it for a while but we’ll go to the Wild Card,’’ she said.

Lockdown Gamble’s trainer David Smith was rapt with the effort at the four-year-old’s ninth race start and may also head to the Wild Card as he’s convinced in 12 months time the gelding would likely have won more than five races and will not be eligible for a Country Championships.

All the results and replays from Sunday’s Country Championships meeting at Mudgee