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By Greg Prichard

Three years ago, Coffs Harbour trainer Aiden St Vincent thought his time to strike in the Newhaven Park Country Championships had come when he had Hellenism ready to go in the Northern Rivers feature at Grafton.

Trainer Aiden St Vincent (Pic: Steve Hart)

That was until the morning of the race, when he noticed a problem with the then four-year-old mare which several weeks earlier had tuned up with a win in a Class 2 TAB Highway Handicap at Randwick.

“On the day of the Country Championships when we were meant to be heading to Grafton I did the usual routine and took Hellenism for a trot and canter early in the morning,” St Vincent recalled.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her. She had a problem and didn’t move well and it really rocked me because I had to make a tough decision not to run her that day when she was hot favourite and I thought she was in the perfect spot to be very competitive in a race like that.

“That was something I’ve come through, but it was hard to take because those chances don’t come back to you again straight away.

“We missed the following year as well as Hellenism because she wasn’t ready in time. She finally ran in the race last year, but while she ran creditably she wasn’t able to qualify for the final.

“Her year when she was ready and at her best for it was 2020. The bird had flown on her a bit by last year and she eventually reached the stage where she had to be retired.

"But I’m glad to say she was a very good racehorse and she had some success along the way for her patient owners.”

But, all along, St Vincent never stopped looking for that next horse that might make the grade at Country Championships level and he’s convinced he’s found it in four-year-old gelding Lisztomania, which will go into Saturday’s NRRA Country Championships at Coffs Harbour with a huge chance.

“I really think Lisztomania is the horse that can do what I wasn’t able to do with Hellenism and qualify for the final,” St Vincent said.

“He’s got a lot of similar attributes to her in terms of class and ability and will to win.

“It’s definitely been a long-term plan with him. He showed good ability last preparation, including a second in a TAB Highway, so we put him away for a long spell, did everything right with him and brought him back when he was ready to go.

“He came to hand pretty quickly and when we took him to Port Macquarie for a Country Championships preview race he showed by the dominant way in which he won that he was the right horse to run in a race like this.

Lisztomania wins at Port Macquarie on February 5

“From what he’s shown us in his races and on the track in the mornings I’ve got no doubt he’s in a great position to run first or second and qualify and it’s pretty exciting to have a horse like that heading towards the race.

“I thought 2020 was going to be our year to get to the final. We've had to wait to find another horse that’s up to it, but I believe we’ve got one.”

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