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By Greg Prichard

Port Macquarie trainer Marc Quinn says Bomarea’s owners are showing an early interest in The Kosciuszko, but that the horse needs to perform strongly at Rosehill on Saturday to become a genuine contender for the event.

Trainer Marc Quinn (Pic: Bradley Photos)

“The owners are buying a few tickets here and there for the slot draw,” Quinn said.

“We’re sort of thinking about it, but we’ve got to see how she goes over the next four or five weeks.

“She hopefully races again in a Benchmark 78 over 1100 metres at Rosehill on August 3. If it works out and she went there and won, or was really, really competitive, then we’re making progress, but until then you’re not even in the conversation.

“If she did do well there then we’d probably run her again in the Toy Show, a Group Three for fillies and mares over 1100.

“So we’re poking along, but we’re not sort of 100 per cent yet.

"She might need to wait until she’s turning five, rather than four, for a race like that, but we’ll let her show us with what she does over the next little bit.”

The $2 million The Kosciuszko will be run over 1200 metres at Randwick on October 19.

Punters can go in the draw to have a horse run for them in The Kosciuszko by purchasing sweepstakes tickets at $5 each via TAB through agencies, the TAB app, pubs and clubs and at race meetings until September 9.

The 14 slot-holders will be drawn on September 11 and they will then be able to do a deal on a prizemoney split with the connections of eligible runners trained in the NSW country or ACT.

Bomarea has raced nine times for four wins and two placings and one of her victories was in a Class 3 TAB Highway over 1000 metres at Randwick on December 16 of last year.

All of her wins have been over 1000 metres and at her only two starts beyond that distance she has finished unplaced over 1100 and 1200.

But Quinn said that, in hindsight, when she raced over 1200 in another Class 3 TAB Highway two weeks after her 1000-metre win at that level the increase in distance didn’t suit her at the time.

“We had all her eggs in the 1000-metre basket at the start of that prep for the Highway that she won and then we thought we’d see if she could run can run 1200 and maybe start going towards the Country Championships,” he said.

“But it was probably just a bit too soon for her.

“We’re just taking it race by race and letting things unfold. I think she can be competitive at 1200, but it’s a matter of whether that comes now or a bit later in her career.

Bomarea runs second at Grafton on July 18

“It was a good run last start when she finished second (to Compelling Truth) in open class in the James Kirby over 1000 at the Grafton carnival. She was disadvantaged at the weights that day.

“So she’s on the right track and now she has to step up from the Kirby to a 78 in town and do something there to create interest. We’ll see how she goes.”

Buy your $5 tickets in The Kosciuszko here