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By Ray Hickson

If there’s a forgotten horse of the Newhaven Park Country Championships it has to be Bobbing.

Trainer Bernie Kelly (Pic: Bradley Photos)

And you can be forgiven for the eight-year-old not being on the radar, when he makes his return in Sunday’s $50,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Wild Card (1400m) at Scone he’ll have not raced since May 2020.

Bobbing is a $101 chance to win next month’s Final at Randwick and that’s probably fair but he’s already beaten the odds to be lining up for a shot at his third appearance at The Star Championships.

“When we tried to set him up for the Country Champs last year he did a low grade tendon injury so we had to pull the pin and start all over again,’’ trainer Bernie Kelly said.

“It’s been a hard road but we hope we can get him there and put his hand up to do something on Sunday.

“He’s only lightly raced, I know he’s eight years old but he’s still enjoying his work. I’ve got no doubt he’s still willing to race.”

The gelding won the 2019 Polytrack Provincial Championships Final when Kelly was based at Hawkesbury. He relocated to Scone soon after and Bobbing ran third in The Kosciuszko later that year.

In 2020 he was narrowly beaten in the Country Championships Wild Card at Muswellbrook before finishing unplaced in the Final.

Kelly said given the horse has had a tendon injury and tie-back surgery it’s hard to predict how he’ll perform in what will be a very strong race and likely his final attempt at the series given he's had 19 starts for five wins.

“The best way to describe him is he’s the wild card in the wild card,’’ he said.

“The stats are going against him. He’s had 96 weeks off and is coming back from a tendon injury.

“He has a couple of hurdles to overcome. He’s normally a clean winded horse, but I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think he was a rough chance.

“The telling factor will be on race day. He used to sound like a steam train coming into the straight so he’s a lot better in the wind now. At the moment the signs are good and he’s breathing a lot better than he used to.”

Eligibility for the Wild Card dictates that you must accept for one of the regional $150,000 features and Bobbing was scratched from the Hunter & North West race at Tamworth on March 6.

He trialled at Dubbo on March 4 and had his third for the preparation at Muswellbrook a week later as Kelly ensured he’ll be as fit as he can be for Scone though it has been interesting that Bobbing races with his head to one side lately.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s part of his make up,’’ Kelly said.

Bobbing wins a trial at Muswellbrook on March 11

“He does have a bit of a tendency to do that, it was a bit more noticeable at Dubbo the other day than previously.”

Nothing short of a top two finish is needed to progress to Randwick and Kelly said being a backmarker he will need the breaks in the run and has the fingers crossed Bobbing can produce something like his best.

“He’s going to have to have a good ride to be in the finish,’’ he said.

“Things are going to have to go his way. Obviously he’s meeting hard fit horses on the way up. I know we’ve had a few trials but nothing beats race fitness.”

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