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By Ray Hickson

Glen Milligan is no stranger to a Newhaven Park Country Championships Final but unheralded filly Swamp Nation is taking him to the $500,000 feature at Randwick for the first time in his own name after an upset win at Taree on Sunday.

Trainer Glen Milligan and Newhaven Park's Charles Kelly (Pic: Steve Hart)

The Taree trainer of course has been crucial to his father Bob’s own training business since his dad was badly injured in a horse accident a few years ago and they’ve been to three Country Championships Finals with Another Valley (2016), Texas Storm (2019) and Charmmebaby (2021).

Swamp Nation wasn’t fancied in the $150,000 Newhaven Park Mid North Coast Country Championships (1400m) as a $21 chance - she was even Milligan's second pick behind stablemate Vicky's One.

But she finished too well to beat another three-year-old filly in Colt Prosser’s Little Prophet ($19) by half a length with Zaru ($14) third.

Milligan said Swamp Nation, perfectly ridden by apprentice Madi Derrick, reminds him a little of Charmmebaby in tenacity but she’s nowhere near as imposing as last year’s regional winner, who went on to run third in the Final.

“There’s nothing of the little filly. Madi got her to settle back in behind them which is good,’’ Milligan said.

“She’s got the same will to win as Charmmebaby, she just tries all the time.

“I thought (stablemate) Vicky’s One was a better hope than her on their work but she just doesn’t lie down.

“The biggest thing was the 1400m but she got a bit of cover and ran it out. Sydney here we come.”

Both Swamp Nation and Little Prophet are $51 with TAB for the Final at Randwick on April 2.

It was apprentice Madi Derrick’s biggest win and she can only hope Milligan keeps the faith and retains her for the ride on Day 1 of The Star Championships.

She’s now had two rides for two wins on Swamp Nation and said the race panned out perfectly for her to run the trip out strongly.

“She’s only tiny, it was always a bit of an unknown with the 1400m for her first go,’’ Derrick said.

“It was probably good riding her with a bit of cover, trying to get her to settle a little bit so she had a bit left and she hit the line really well.

“It’s exciting, now I get to go to Sydney with her.”

Milligan said the filly, who cost just $8000, will get a few easy days before a plan is worked out about how to pass the time until her Randwick assignment.

Wauchope trainer Colt Prosser is into his first final with Little Prophet, a horse that cost him $20,000 and one that he refused to leave the yearling sale without.

Swamp Nation wins the MNCRA Country Championships at Taree

He has quite an attachment to her and while he feels she’s probably a year away from being able to cope with the intensity of Randwick but he’s rapt to ticket.

“It’s a huge thrill and a big relief with that little filly,’’ Prosser said.

“She’s quite a handful, we had a bit of a mishap with her a couple of weeks ago. She’s just a little winner, I love her to death.

“She doesn’t handle the big lights too well just yet but she’s winner and we’ll try our best on the day.”

All the results and replays from Sunday's Taree meeting