While Saturday's Buckley's Carpet Court Banjo Paterson Cup (1300 metres) is Racing Orange's second-biggest event of the season, a number of the race's better chances have a far bigger picture in mind as well.
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The Country Championships.
The likes of Cameron Crockett's Ori On Fire and Kingsbridge are both expected to be among the nominations for Central Districts' heat at Mudgee on Sunday, March 3, with Dean Mirfin's I Am Magnificent and I Am Capitan both eligible and in form as well.
Should they be targeting the $150,000 heat and a place in the $500,000 final at Randwick, Saturday's 1300-metre cup is expected to be their last runs beforehand - a final, in-race tune-up so to speak.
Ori On Fire contested last year's heat and isn't expected to just run again, it's expected to run well.
But the interesting proposition looks to be Mirfin's I Am Capitan, which comes into Saturday's Banjo Paterson Cup after four consecutive Highway Handicap placings.
Celebrated country hoop Greg Ryan is in his saddle for Saturday's cup, and with 15 career starts for two wins the five-year-old is comfortably eligible for the Country Championships.
While he's predominantly run over shorter distances his nomination in the Banjo Paterson Cup would suggest Mirfin may be looking to push him out ahead of a Championships tilt, which could hinge on Saturday's result.
The Banjo Paterson Cup is the sixth and main event of Saturday's seven-race program at Towac Park and jumps at 4.46pm, with racing beginning at 1.41pm.
Gates open at Towac Park at noon and the afternoon is set to be a big one, with live music throughout the day and courtesy buses running as well.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
