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By Ray Hickson

Dubbo trainer Brett Robb has scored the most significant win of his career as outsider Sizzle Minizzle staged the biggest upset in the nine year history of the Newhaven Park Country Championships (1400m) at Royal Randwick.

Trainer Brett Robb (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The $61 chance, who was runner-up in the Western Districts Championships at Coonamble, stunned a solid field of country horses with a dominant two length win in heavy ground over the favourite Talbragar ($4) with I’ve Bean Tryin’ ($14) coming from the back for third.

What the result proved is that the Western District can produce a promising horse and Robb said the three-year-old has so much upside.

“The horse is still maturing, he’s a really nice horse,’’ Robb said.

“I’ve always liked the horse, ever since I broke him in I rode him for the first time and I rung (owner) Greg and I said, ‘I think you’ve got a nice horse here’.

“He’s just taken a little bit longer than we thought for the penny to drop. I think he’s got more improvement left in him, I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with him.”

Sizzle Minizzle qualified with his second placing behind Listen To The Band at Coonamble after leading them around the turn.

He was one of six horses Robb had aimed at the Newhaven Park Country Championships this year but only three made it to Coonamble with the horse he considered the best of them, Gallant Star, winding up in the paddock.

“I knew I was coming here with a lot fitter horse than what I had at Coonamble (qualifying heat), he missed out on a bit of work heading into it,’’ he said.

“Between now and then, I’ve been able to jam more work into him, I knew I had a fitter horse.

“I was only telling someone this morning that I’ll be glad when this weekend is over because you’re preparing these horses for this a long time out.

“At the start of it, I had six horses set for it but at the end I only had three, a lot of things go wrong and it’s a lot of work to get these horses here.”

Robb admitted he wasn’t sure how the gelding would handle the ground when the rain set in but with the runaway win he definitely ticked that box.

The logical race to aim Sizzle Minizzle at now is the $2m The Kosciuszko (1200m) on Everest Day and Robb said that would be an option but he’d still have high hopes for Gallant Star.

“He could be. I want to set Gallant Star for that, I want to try and get him into that,’’ he said.

Sizzle Minizzle wins the Country Championships Final at Royal Randwick

Jockey Sam Clipperton certainly had no trouble in the wet and he said when Sizzle Minizzle showed during the run that he was handling the ground his confidence grew.

“I’m just a wet tracker. I loved last autumn, I haven’t been going very good this autumn but it’s wet and it’s my day to play,’’ Clipperton said.

“One thing about wet tracks if the horse is handling it there’s no point scouting wide looking for better ground if they’re getting through it. Just take the short cuts.

“I tried to get him as far down the straight without having to use the whip and then just gave him a couple of little taps that last furlong and he streaked away. Ate up the ground and I’m really proud to win this race.”

Check out the replays and results from Day 1 of The Star Championships at Royal Randwick