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By Graeme White

Sunrise Ruby has already been to the elite level of country racing and will make her return from a break in preparation for another major challenge at Wagga on Thursday.

Sunrise Ruby ($3.20 favourite on TAB) contested the $1.3 million The Kosciusko at Royal Randwick in October finishing only three and a half lengths from Art Cadeau and Handle The Truth.

Sunrise Ruby (Glen Boss) returns after her Royal Randwick win. Image by Bradley Photographers

The mare has already won four of her seven starts and is using the Newhaven Park Country Championships Preview Class 4 (1200m) as a lead in to a bigger prize.

Sunrise Ruby, like Blitzar ($4.60), Halo Warrior ($6.50) and Whenitrainsitpours ($4.20) who will contest the same race, are all heading towards the $150,000 Newhaven Park Southern Districts Country Championships at Wagga on Saturday, February 19.

Blitzar ran ninth in last year’s qualifier behind Another One and was only beaten just over two lengths. The five-year-old showed he is in peak form winning first-up at Wagga over 1000 metres on January 26.

Trainer Chris Heywood agreed Blitzar is going better than at this stage last year and his first-up victory proved he was ready.

“He had a tendency to go hard before and I was very pleased to see him win the way he did,” Heywood said. “You would have to say he is going better than last year on the way he went first-up.”

Apprentice jockey Amy McLucas takes over on Blitzar replacing the injured Brendan Ward who will be out for several weeks with a knee fracture following a race fall at the Sapphire Coast.

McLucas will reduce Blitzar’s weight to 60 kilograms after her claim which will still keep him at around the same weight as Halo Warrior and Sunrise Ruby.

Halo Warrior has raced 14 times for four wins and ran in last year’s Country Championship Wagga qualifier finishing sixth and marginally ahead of Blitzar. Albury trainer Donna Scott prepares Halo Warrior who is coming off a last start win at Albury.

Scott last week celebrated one of the biggest career moments winning with Takissacod in a $150,000 mare’s race at Flemington as a $41 chance. Takissacod ran third in last year’s Wagga qualifier behind Another One and has since won four times

Whenitrainsitpours is relatively inexperienced in terms of race starts compared to her rivals with five runs for two wins and two seconds. It’s a big step up for the three-year-old who could join stablemate Participator in the Wagga qualifier.

Canberra galloper Emma’s Gift ($6) was successful first-up at Moruya and has been placed in Highway company. She won her only start at Wagga in August for trainer Keith Dryden.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Wagga here