Tamworth trainer Melanie O’Gorman will set Suncraze for the Country Championships after the four-year-old’s short-half-head win in the final race on the program at Randwick last Saturday, the 1200-metre benchmark 85. 
“I always thought he was a little immature as a baby so it’s nice to see him come back bigger and stronger this time in,” she said. 
“Going towards the Country Championships I’ve looked at the Liverpool City Cup (March 3). I think that would be a nice race for him over the 1300 metres. Then he’ll go to the qualifier at Scone. 
“I just need to keep him ticking over now — all the hard work is done.” 
Suncraze’s win as $4 favourite gave jockey Tim Clark his fourth for the day and brought the galloper’s record to four wins and seven seconds from just 11 starts.
Thanks, Mate
Earlier on the Randwick card, Goulburn galloper Mate Story notched his second straight win in the Highway series, taking the Class 3 handicap over 1800 metres as $3.50 favourite.
Trained by Jean Dubois and ridden by Jean Van Overmire, Mate Story had taken out a 1500-metre Highway at Rosehill on February 3. 
Last Saturday, Van Overmire sent his mount straight to the front and from there judged the pace to perfection. 
“I was very happy they left me alone,” he said. “It meant he was able to relax better than I thought he might have and that was enough for us to win.” 
Dubois admitted after the race that he’d had his doubts. 
“He went so well over 1500 metres last time and it was his fourth start this preparation so I wasn’t too sure how he’d run. 
“He didn’t look too good during the week, but finally he came good. 
Mate Story, who won by a length and a half from Fui San, is likely to have his next start in a metropolitan midweek race. 
Cash for Kerry
The two Randwick wins weren’t the only metropolitan successes last weekend for out-of-town trainers. 
On the Friday night at Canterbury, Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker produced Virgilio ($4.40) to win the 1200-metre benchmark 77 with Jason Collett in the saddle. 
In winning, the four-year-old gelding enhanced his already good second-up record — now three wins and a second from four starts.
Selby spring surprise
The Lea Selby-trained Evangelist caused a boilover when he took out last Friday’s $50,000 Quirindi Showcase Cup (1600m). 
The eight-year-old, who started at $31 and paid $36.20 on the NSW tote, defeated Loud Enough by a nose in a thriller, with third-placed Egyptian Ruler a further half-head away. 
Armidale-based Selby followed up Friday’s success with another win on Saturday, when Exotic Art ($9.50), ridden by Vad Bolozhinskyi, claimed the 1200-metre benchmark 51 at Moree. 
One of the more hotly contested races at Quirindi was the $40,000 maiden over 1200 metres, won by the Peter Bloomfield-trained galloper Cristal Lulu ($6.50), ridden by Greg Ryan, from Orezira and Table Mountain.
Robb, Wright rule
Last Saturday saw the running of country cups at Tumut and the Bedgerebong picnics. 
At Tumut, Didn’t Even Kiss Me, ridden by Wendy Peel and trained by Scott Spackman, careered away to win the feature by 6½ lengths. 
At Bedgerebong, Lulu’s Destiny took the cup by 4¾ lengths for jockey Maddison Wright and trainer Rodney Robb. 
The trainer/jockey combination of Robb and Wright dominated the popular picnic meeting, winning four of the six races. 
The other two went to trainer John Rolfe and rider Ricky Blewitt.
Joy for Jenny
Port Macquarie trainer Jenny Graham claimed a piece of racing history last Sunday when she became the first trainer to prepare the trifecta in a Country Championships qualifier. 
While Graham had said before the race, that she couldn’t split her three gallopers, punters were on the mark, backing eventual victor Victorem into $1.90 favouritism. 
The local three-year-old could not have been more impressive, scoring a dominant win over stablemates Awesome Pluck and Portatorio. 
The result means that both Victorem and Awesome Pluck are now qualified for the $500,000 Country Championships Final, to be run at Randwick on April 7. 
“This is so awesome,” Graham said. “I was feeling the pressure a bit this week. I just wanted them all to run well and they did,” Graham said. 
Winning jockey Ben Looker said he’d got “an absolute dream run” following Awesome Pluck. 
“When I got into daylight I knew he’d let down.” 
Kelly kicks in
In good news for country racing participants, Newhaven Park Stud supremo John Kelly has announced that the famous stud extend its sponsorship of the $500,000 Country Championships Final by three years. 
In making the announcement Kelly said: “The Country Championships gives grassroots racing folk a chance to compete on the biggest stage and we wanted to be part of it.”
King farewelled
The funeral for former leading Tamworth trainer Merv Corliss, the man known as the “Country Cups King”, was held at the Tamworth racecourse on Monday. 
Corliss, who was 93, trained many good gallopers during his long career but arguably the best of them was Akwazoff, who won 36 races, including 16 country cups, in a 136-start career. 
Black-bookers
Looking for horses to follow from last weekend, Victorem looks a standout. The way he finished off his race suggests he’ll have no trouble stepping up to 1400 metres at Randwick on April 7. 
Others who should pay to follow are Seasonal, who won a 1600-metre benchmark 64 at Newcastle, Medal Afrique, who took out a 1400-metre benchmark 65 at Moree, and Not a Sound, who claimed a 1280-metre maiden at Orange.