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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Matthew Dale has been involved in Group 1 races at The Star Championships before but he's excited to have his first shot at the Newhaven Park Country Championships Final after Cavalier Charles scored a dominant win in Sunday’s $50,000 Wild Card (1400m) at Scone.

Trainer Matthew Dale (Pic: Bradley).

The five-year-old, who beat now Group 1 winner Shelby Sixtysix in a Class 2 at the Sapphire Coast at the end of January, was given a perfect ride by jockey Nick Heywood and took the lead inside the 200m before holding off the fast-finishing Edit.

The race favourite grabbed local galloper Banju in the final strides for second place.

Dale feels Cavalier Charles has a sense of timing about him as he’ll head to Randwick on April 2 with three wins from his last four starts and an adaptable racing style.

“I’m really happy to win, it was a good solid win and he was strong to the line,’’ Dale said.

“We can ride him from anywhere which is a luxury you don’t get with many horses in big races and he’s one of those horses. I think he deserves his spot.”

After Cavalier Charles ran fourth behind Testator Silens in the South East Championships at Nowra, Dale had to ensure his rating was high enough to have his second chance at Scone so he sent him around at Canberra a week ago and he produced a last-to-first win over 1200m.

“We came up with a plan to ride him very quiet last week and come late and if he was good enough he’d win,’’ he said.

“It was a sensational win last week and a good solid win today.”

The Canberra trainer's dual Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes placegetter Fell Swoop took part in the inaugural TAB Everest in 2017 while Man Of Peace finished third in the $1.3m The Kosciuszko in 2020.

But the Country Championships Final, always a major target for any country trainer, is a race that’s eluded him until now and in Cavalier Charles he feels he has a horse that will be a realistic chance.

After the win the gelding firmed into $6 in TAB’s all-in market behind Wild Card runner-up Edit who joined Northern Rivers winner Far Too Easy as the equal $5 favourite.

“It just shows it’s a narrow brief to get them into the final,’’ Dale said.

“I think it’s a great initiative to have the last chance qualifier put to a big open track over the distance of the final.

“It should be on a track akin to Randwick over the distance. Now we’re doing that at Scone the right horses get in and Scone or Goulburn would be the logical choice to pull that off.”

For jockey Nick Heywood it was his second win in the Country Championships series this year after he guided Another One to victory in the Southern Districts feature last month.

The win made the seven hour drive to Scone more than worthwhile

“I was pretty confident. He’s a pleasure to ride, you can put him anywhere in the race,’’ he said.

“If he doesn’t win he tries his guts out for you. Matt Dale does a great job with his horses and it showed today.”

Cavalier Charles wins the Wild Card at Scone

Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan was relieved to secure a place in the $500,000 Final with Edit, who joins Hunter & North West winner Anethole in the race, and he said while beaten at Scone he will be a force at Randwick with the benefit of the run.

After drawing wide, jockey Aaron Bullock secured a spot just worse than midfield and followed the winner into the straight but wasn’t able to reel him in saying he ‘let rip with the winner’ but felt the pinch a little late.

“With Anethole he was as good as he could go but this horse was 50 per cent,’’ Morgan said.

“He was as close as I could have him (fitness wise), he hadn’t run for three or four months and to do that. He’ll be ready to go.”

The 16 horses qualified for the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 2: Far Too Easy, Zoukina (Northern Rivers), Testator Silens, To The Nines (South East), Another One, Tap ‘N’ Run (Southern Districts), Swamp Nation, Little Prophet (Mid North Coast), Zoo Station, Lockdown Gamble (Central Districts), Anethole, Commando Hunt (Hunter & North West), Great Buy, Amulet Street (Western), Cavalier Charles, Edit (Wild Card).

All the results and replays for Sunday’s Scone meeting