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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Karen Owen has one eye on the 2025 Country Championships series with homebred filly Get Some Fun and would plot a path in that direction if she can continue her rise at Port Macquarie on Sunday.

Trainer Karen Owen (Pic: Grant Guy)

The filly has only raced three times, for two wins and a second, and Owen said the Char Bar Catering Handicap (1106m) is a good opportunity to give Get Some Fun a bit more experience.

Owen is wary that the three-year-old is in her first racing preparation so she’ll need to ease up soon to bridge the gap to the Mid North Coast Country Championships run some time in late February.

“We’re thinking maybe she will be a Country Championships horse,’’ Owen said.

“We don’t want to keep her up the whole time, we can work out a plan and aim to go to that. We’re quite excited about her and we’re very pleased with her.

“I think she will get further, we think she’s quick enough for 1100m as well so it’s a suitable race. She’s been there twice for two wins so why not go again.”

Get Some Fun has led all or most of the way in both her wins and was able to make the leap from a runaway maiden victory over 1000m to a Class 1 over 1200m in the space of 12 days.

The Taree trainer says this Benchmark 66 potentially presents an opportunity for jockey, and her daughter, Madeline Owen to try having the filly sit just off the speed as opposed to setting or being on top of the speed.

“On first impressions there seems to be a bit of speed in the race so I wouldn’t mind if she is just a little bit behind the speed,’’ Owen said.

“For educational purposes and it may be the way to go if there is a bit of speed. You always need a little bit of luck but I think she will run well.

“She’s strong on the line and Maddie thinks she will get further too, she’s only in her first racing preparation so we’re not in a rush to step her up.”

Owen has had few horses contest the Country Championships series to date and her last runner, last year’s Taree Cup winner Sound And Vision, was unplaced in the 2022 Mid North Coast feature.

Sound And Vision is headed to the $750,000 Little Dance (1600m) at Randwick on November 5 while stablemate Fay’s Angels, runner-up in this year’s Taree Cup, could also contest that race.

Meanwhile, Owen said she’s expecting her other Port Macquarie runner Scotland to show improvement at his third run for the stable in the Chip Shop Handicap (1206m).

The five-year-old has beaten one horse home in both starts since a break but with a little less depth in Sunday’s assignment there’s an opportunity for him to run into some form before stepping up in distance.

Get Some Fun wins at Port Macquarie on October 11

“He had a long spell so it’s taken a few runs to come to hand,’’ she said.

“He’s been hampered by bad barriers the whole time and again he has a bad barrier.

“I think he will be better over 1400m, he has improved since his last run so if he can step away and not be too far back he might have a chance.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday's Port Macquarie meeting