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By Julieanne Horsman

Kinda Tangy will have her first hit out at Nowra this weekend, on her path to the $50,000 NSW Picnic Champion Final next month.

The five-year-old mare, trained at Sutton by Neil Osborne, enjoyed her most successful season yet in 2016/17 and is set to continue her good form.

“She was a bit of a late bloomer but has fully matured now,” Osborne said. “She’s come back even bigger and stronger this time.”

Kinda Tangy will line up in the John Dignam Benchmark 65 Handicap over 1200m on Sunday, and Osborne rates her a good chance. “She’s in the top three horses in the field and I’m happy with her gate (3) and she gets 1.5kg off with Carly Frater-Hill’s claim,” he said.

“She did the bolt on Carly last time she rode her in December 2016 but I am not concerned about a repeat over 1200m first up.

“They’ll be a bit quick for her and Janis the top weight is very fast, so I’d like to see her settling in about fourth position and finishing off late.”

Kinda Tangy raced mostly at picnic meetings last season, notching six wins and two places.

She got straight on the board of the NSW Picnic Champion Series with a win on its first day at Harden last October and is currently in fifth position, guaranteeing her a start in the $50,000 final at Dubbo on 17th September.

“It’s a fantastic initiative and $50,000 is a lot of money for a picnic race,” Osborne said.

“We’ve had a lot of fun taking her around to all the different picnic meetings.

“Picnic racing is the grass roots of the industry and many people have their first race day at a picnic meeting. If we give them a good experience we have half a chance of getting them to come back to the races later on.”

The NSW Picnic Champion Final is restricted to horses who have run in a heat, and those who have accumulated the most points will make up the final field.

Only approved riders are allowed to participate, so the professional jockeys will be watching from the sidelines.

“Billy Owen will be riding Kinda Tangy in the final,” Osborne said. “She’s his second favourite horse after Single Gaze (NSW Country Horse of the Year who Billy straps) and he has won on her twice before."

Osborne bred Kinda Tangy himself and still owns her dam, Ready To Strike.

He trains from his farm Mane Lodge at Sutton where he has a 1000m sand track, treadmill, eight horse walker and horse swimming pool. He has 12 horses in work and also operates a renowned horse transport and agistment business.

View the fields and form (including race replays) for Shoalhaven City Turf Club's Sunday meeting here.