Latest News

By Ray Hickson

A move to stables off course is something Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan has wanted to make for some time and he hopes it’s the not-so-secret weapon that helps him land a fourth Newhaven Park Hunter & North West Country Championships on Sunday.

Cody Morgan (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It’s unusual, though, for Morgan to be the underdog in the $150,000 but that’ll be the case when Seguso, Macleay and possibly third emergency Aesthete race for a spot in the $1 million Final.

“It means you haven’t got the fastest horse,’’ Morgan quipped.

“I’ve got a couple of outside chances but it’s just nice to have runners in the race. (Seguso and Macleay) aren't in the best form but they’re racing on their home track.”

Morgan won his first regional Country Championships in 2019 with Unbiased, then backed that up a year later with Ligulate and Anethole scored in 2022.

So far, Wild Card winner Talbragar’s second behind Sizzle Minizzle last year is his best result in the Final at Randwick.

But for the past few months he’s been based on a 25 acre property that is a short drive to the Tamworth racecourse and in that time the results have been flowing.

“Since we’ve moved here we’ve already had a dozen winners,’’ he said.

“The first week we had a treble, it’s good because you’re always apprehensive when you move how the horses will perform.

“It’s allowed me to train a few of the fillies out of the paddock, and they have much bigger boxes.

“The complex is something I’ve always wanted to do and anyone that’s been here in the last couple of months has been blown away by how nice it is.”

Seguso, who opened $19 with TAB, is the highest rated horse in the Hunter & North West Country Championships having won three races since he contested the 2023 edition in his first preparation for Morgan.

They’ve all come at 1200m, two on the Tamworth track, and Morgan is a little concerned about his strength at 1400m but from barrier two it’s the right platform to be competitive.

The six-year-old was beaten five lengths by Shezanalister in his first-up run at Randwick a month ago but has a win and a third since joining Morgan from two second-up attempts.

“He’s a bit like Casino Lord (who ran third) last year, he had no 1400m form but it’s a $150,000 race on your home track,’’ Morgan said.

“He’s suspect at the distance but we’ve done everything we can to set him up for the race to run 1400m so we’ll see.

“He was fair in Sydney, but blinkers go back on. That was always the plan so we will see how we go.”

Macleay, a $51 chance, is also coming off a disappointing performance, in the Preview at Scone, but Morgan said he can be a little forgiving given he impressed the trainer winning over the 1400m at Tamworth on Christmas Eve.

“We took the blinkers off him, I didn’t want him having a hard run when he’s backing up 12 days later,’’ he said.

“We rode him cold and he couldn’t keep up at 1200m. When he won with 61.5kg I asked Aaron (Bullock) if he was good enough to put in a Country Championships and he said yep.

Seguso wins at Mudgee on December 1

“If we were going in on his previous two runs he’s probably a 10/1 chance, off his last run he’s got to improve a bit.”

Imported gelding Aesthete has won three of his eight starts for Morgan and comes off an easy win over 1400m at Tamworth almost a month ago.

As he’s third emergency, he's also an acceptor for the Pony Express Handicap (1200m).

“He’s going really well, I’m probably hoping he doesn’t get a run because he’s a month between runs and he’d be a really good chance in the Wild Card,’’ he said.

“But if he gets a run in the main race that’s where he’ll start.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday's Country Championships meeting at Tamworth