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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Doug Gorrel has designs on turning Country Championships winner Asgarda into a stakes winner later this season so the TAB Handicap (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is an important stepping stone.

The Wagga trainer elected to take on the Benchmark 78 race in preference to Tuesday’s country restricted Barn Dance to begin that transition into stronger company.

“She’s up against the better ones now, and next prep she’ll be right in the deep end,’’ Gorrel said.

“Hopefully she picks off one of these then, especially with a mare, you’ve got to start looking at a Listed race.

“It takes a good horse to win (the Country Championships) because they are the best of the bush. They’re lovely races to win but if you want to be top notch you’ve got to climb the mountain.”

Asgarda, $3.20 with TAB on Friday, produced an eye-catching fifth in The Kosciuszko two weeks ago as she charged down the middle from last on the turn.

Not surprisingly, the four-year-old ran some quick sectionals and her last 600m of 33.73 (Punter’s Intelligence) was second only to the winner Far Too Easy while she matched that horse’s final 200m of 11.48.

Asgarda runs fifth in The Kosciuszko

“It was a really huge run,’’ he said.

“If we draw a gate, I don’t think we beat the winner, we might have run third and in a big money race like that it’s a big difference.

“But we were happy and fifth in the Kosi is nothing to be sneezed at.”

Gorrel likes the way the Rosehill event sets up for Asgarda including the fact with only eight rivals she’ll not likely need to give away an impossible start. That’ll be important as she has 60.5kg to carry.

He said the Kosciuszko run didn’t take a lot out of the mare, which doesn’t surprise him considering she didn’t do a lot of early work, and that will serve her well third-up.

“It’s a nice draw, there’s nice horses in it but it might be an easier option than the Barn Dance,’’ he said.

“That’ll be a full field of 14 and she’d need a fraction more luck whereas Saturday we might be going around in the box seat.

“She can race anywhere, you can put her on pace or midfield and as we’ve seen if we have to go back she rattles home.

“You’d think unless something changes its pattern the tempo is going to be moderate, so from a good gate she might even lead but certainly won’t be too far off the speed. Billy Owen is a class jockey, he’ll sum it up after 100m.

“Her work on Tuesday was sensational and it looks like a nice race. You can never be confident in a Sydney Saturday race but I think she will be right in it for sure.”

If Asgarda has another run this spring Gorrel said the $100,000 Snake Gully Cup on November 15 is the likely option.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Golden Eagle at Rosehill