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By Ray Hickson

There are bigger horses in the Tuncurry stables of trainer Terry Evans but few have the confidence and will to win of a four-year-old mare called Par Avion.

Trainer Terry Evans

To repurpose a phrase from Mark Twain – it’s not the size of the horse in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the horse. And Evans says that sums her up.

Evans is hoping the lightly raced mare brings that fight to Taree on Sunday for the $150,000 Newhaven Park Mid North Coast Country Championships (1400m) where she’ll bid for a spot on the big stage at Royal Randwick.

“The only downside of her is she’s not very big and you’ve got to watch what sort of work you put into her,’’ Evans said.

“But she makes up for it in heart and attacking the line. We know she’s got plenty of fight in her and she will have a go.

“She’s done really well for what she started off like and she’s turned into a really nice horse.

“She always had ability but her conformation is terrible, she’s swayback and she’s only little and there’s not much of her at all. But she’s very confident at the moment after all her efforts.”

In 11 starts Par Avion has won four races and recorded three more placings for her owners, which include prominent Sydney racing photographers Steve Hart and Mark Bradley, and has shown a liking for Taree.

She’s only had the two starts there, both over the Country Championships distance, for two wins and will be reunited with Andrew Gibbons, who rode her to victory at Port Macquarie in October at his only ride on the mare, on Sunday.

Evans has so far only had one runner in the Country Championships series, a mare called Kat Kiss who was unplaced last year, but is adamant Par Avion is a realistic chance of a top two finish.

“You’ve got to have some sort of ability and we think she has more improvement to come the more mature she gets,’’ he said.

“She just attacks the line. A wider gate probably suits her better, when I say wide not right on the outside if we can help.

“If you look at worst case scenario she can overcome it because she gets back in her races. She works into it and just motors her last furlong, she’ll run home in 11.3/11.4 easy.”

Par Avion’s lead up to the Country Championships came at Port Macquarie on February 6 and she finished on from the back to run third behind Swamp Nation over 1200m on a heavy track.

While he didn’t get a winning result that day Evans said everything has gone to plan – touch wood of course – for Sunday’s mission.

Par Avion runs third at Port Macquarie on February 6

“She probably got a bit far behind of the pack on the turn but it turned out okay, it was a good run and she needed the run,’’ he said.

“She gets through heavy tracks but it rained then it was sunny then it rained again. It was a good hitout for her.

“She’s very confident in herself and she worked very well (Monday) morning, and got home pretty well time wise.”

The first two home at Taree represent the Mid North Coast in the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 2.

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