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By Greg Prichard

Local trainer Wayne Wilkes is aiming Razzama and Reateros at the Newhaven Park Country Championships next month and expects them to produce quality performances at Taree on Monday.

“They’ll need to run well for me to keep heading that way with them and I think they will,” Wilkes said.
“I think they’re both in with a good chance.

Trainer Wayne Wilkes. Image by Bradley Photographers

“They’ve only won the one race each, but they’re both still lightly raced and they’ve been in their best form recently, so I’m optimistic about them rising to Country Championships level from here.”

Razzama is currently in two races at Taree - the Ladies Day Sun 19 Feb Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1400m and the XXXX Gold Class 1 Handicap over 1300m.

Despite being second emergency for the XXXX the four-year-old gelding is already guaranteed a run there with two runners having been scratched.

But with Reateros also in the XXXX, Wilkes is set to keep them apart.

“I’ll probably leave Razzama in the 1400-metre race, where he’s drawn much better in barrier one than out wide in the other race,” he said.

“Reateros has also drawn the inside and with Andrew Gibbons riding both horses they should each get every chance.”

The $150,000 MNCRA Country Championships will be run over 1400m at Tuncurry on February 12. The first two placegetters will qualify for the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final over 1400m at Randwick on April 1.

Wilkes has previously had success in the Country Championships and has a firm idea about what is the right sort of horse to be competitive.

“You’re looking for horses that are going to get 1400, 1600 metres, around that mark, and these two suggest they will definitely get 1400 and probably even 1600,” he said.

“Being able to run a strong 1600 is important in the Country Championships because the 1400 at Randwick is considered to be as hard a run as 1600 is at a lot of other places.”

Wilkes also has King Kikau in the XXXX, racing first-up from a spell: “He’ll want to get out to 1600, 2000 metres before we see the best of him, but he’ll run OK,” Wilkes said.

And Rinnero will start for him in the Saxbys Soft Drink Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1250m.

“He’s backing up from Taree last week and probably just needs to be ridden a bit quieter.” Wilkes said. “Senior jockey (Andrew Gibbons) back on him, so we’ll see how he goes. He’s not without a chance.”

*Gates open 11am. Entry $10. Full TAB, bookmaker and bistro facilities. Plenty of kids’ activities - bring the family out for a fun day at the races during the holiday period.

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