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By Tony Megahey

Wagga Wagga’s celebrated Tim Donnelly and profile industry official Richard Pegum have been involved in far bigger occasions with racing’s finest as they bring an intriguing international flavour to the TAB Highway series, extending to the popular middle-distance range at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Emerging Great Britain stayer Kitzbuhel ($11 into $8.50 with TAB) will take beating, purchased by Pegum, Chairman of the NSW Trainers Association, part-owner of 2000 Melbourne Cup winner Brew, Chris Waller’s Group I winner Life Less Ordinary and the Kris Lees Cups contender Mustajeer.

Wagga-based trainer Tim Donnelly

Donnelly and Pegum are racing institutions in the Riverina.

The veteran Donnelly returned after 16 years away, starting his career with TJ Smith, riding the champion Kingston Town trackwork and eventually training a Group I George Ryder Stakes winner in 1998 with Quick Flick.

Pegum originally went to university in Wagga Wagga and as a keen young racing enthusiast worked for a bookmaker on the long road to his high industry standing.

“Over the years Richard has brought across some quality; this gelding is only lightly-raced and the promise was there winning and placed in Great Britain.

"He’s won twice for us with big weights and is a progressive stayer,” Donnelly assessed as Kitzbuhel, named after a magnificent medieval village in the Austrian alps, contests a TAB, $100,000 Class 3, 1800m with 60kg for multiple Group winning Tim Clark (a former Wagga Wagga apprentice).

Hence, his lengthy association with Donnelly and Pegum.

Kitzbuhel, an imposing five-year-old is perfectly placed, primed by trials, an unsuitable 1500m Goulburn placing after carrying a massive 62.5k and 61kg impressively winning a home track double in heavy conditions last prep in June. He failed with a scary 64kg over 2500m.

“He’s come back in good order off the two trials and the Goulburn placing.  The 1500m was too short for him, but that was the lead-up he needed when we set him for this at his right distance range.

“While his wins were on heavy tracks, he’s not essentially a wet tracker, he adapts on all surfaces.

“He’s has firm track placings overseas, led at Goulburn on firm, that wasn’t the intention, but he was caught wide, so we went forward.

“We’ll position somewhere on the pace on Saturday. As I said, he’s improved, he’s in his right race and distance range and weighted about what we expected.”

Meanwhile, Donnelly’s French import, Pontmain has been set for an upcoming Highway middle distance after a recent home track winning double and a Highway placing at headquarters way back in February of 2019.

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