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By Ray Hickson

A partnership that only became official in the past few months, but has endured almost a quarter of a century, had its biggest moment as Sunchyme took out the $150,000 Evergreen Turf South East Country Championships (1400m) at Nowra.

Keith Dryden needs no introduction but his co-trainer Libby Snowden has been working behind the scenes with the Canberra trainer since the early 2000s and they've shared a friendship that started back in the 80s.

That made Sunchyme’s win even more special as prior to the partnership Dryden hadn’t previously qualified a horse for the $1 million Country Championships Final.

“Libby and I have known one another since we were young people in our 20s, she’s worked with me for 25 years and I’m just so happy for her,’’ Dryden said.

Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden (centre) with Sunchyme after winning the South East Country Championships at Nowra. (Pic: Jess Webber-White)

“We’ve had a rough trip lately since Libby and I joined up, in two months we’ve had one winner, so I’m so happy for Libby and the staff.”

Sunchyme had failed in a Highway at her first run since winning at Rosehill in December but Dryden was forgiving of that performance as Molly Bourke didn’t have a lot of luck on the mare.

When the five-year-old drew awkwardly in the South East Country Championships, as did each of the Dryden/Snowden runners, he said he would have preferred to stay at home but such are the conditions of the race you have to roll the dice.

After Sunchyme, aided by a perfect ride from Alysha Collett, burst to the front near the line to beat Cable Express by half a length, with Sass ‘N’ Cheek third, Dryden was pleased he did and now he has to plan the path to Randwick.

“Under normal circumstances we probably would have scratched. Alysha gave her a top ride, she’s a strong rider,’’ he said.

“Just looking at her there with the eye there’s improvement.

“We’ll take the cheque today, have a couple of days off, and I’ll think about it next week.

“She’ll probably have a couple of weeks off, we’ll make our decisions after we see how she pulls up."

Collett said she was concerned about how she’d navigate the awkward barrier but when Sunchyme was a shade slow to begin she said everything fell into place.

She joked post-race that she hopes Dryden will keep her on for the Final.

“Initially I was looking at the map and I was going to try to use the horses outside me to come across,’’ she said.

“When we jumped fair, it was half a blessing because we were able to skip underneath them and get behind the favourite’s back quickly.

“She was in a good rhythm, the tempo came out of the race and she relaxed.

“When I asked her to go through the gears she kept herself balanced and really found late. I liked the way she went through the line.”

Trainer Danielle Seib was rapt to get Cable Express through to the Final after he endured a tough run, and wobbled on the corner, but was good enough to rally and claim second.

All the results and replays from Sunday’s Country Championships meeting at Nowra