Albury trainer Donna Scott takes the Country Championships concept seriously every year and the $2.35 million series is high on her agenda for promising galloper Villasaurus.
Trainer Donna Scott
The four-year-old chases successive TAB Highway (1500m) wins at Rosehill on Saturday and Scott is quietly confident he can confirm his place as her leading contender.
It’s been five weeks since Villasaurus scored a dominant first-up Highway win – Scott’s first Highway success – and put himself on the Country Championships radar for 2025.
“I’m big on Country Championships, a couple of my staff think I worry about it too much but it’s such a massive chance to pick up good prizemoney in your own back yard,’’ she said.
“If he can come out and win I’d be popping him away, it’s a good problem to have if that happens.
“It’s getting close to the time where horses that are heading there you have to give them a bit of a spell soon. There’s a bit of planning to do but we’ll get this race out of the way.”
Scott’s best result in a Country Championships Final is Bennelong Dancer’s third in 2019.
If Villasaurus, $5 with TAB on Friday, is to make it to the $1 million Final on April 5 he’ll need a top two finish in the Southern Districts Country Championships (1400m) at Wagga Wagga on March 1.
The gelding was due to run in the Highway at Kembla Grange on The Gong program but Scott decided not to line up in that race from a wide barrier – it was won by Everido who Villasaurus beat by over three lengths when they clashed five weeks ago.
“There’s plenty of form out of it and he meets a similar sort of race,’’ she said.
“I’d like to hope he’s come on from it. I think he gets a nice chance but I get quite nervous when it comes to this sort of stuff because you’ve got to have the horse spot on.
“He probably wants a bit further but I have a lot of time for him and there’s plenty of upside to him.
“I have a fair opinion of him and hopefully he can prove me right.”
While he missed that race two weeks ago, Scott said Villasaurus has had a jump out at home and Blaike McDougall partnered him in a gallop at Corowa recently to keep him ticking over.
Scott warned not to underestimate stablemate Valspar who will jump alongside Villasaurus in the Highway – while his record isn’t as impressive with just one win from 11 starts and seconds in four of his last five he’s had several close calls.
In each of those second placings he went down as a short priced favourite and the trainer says he’d be due for a change of fortune.
“He’s definitely got the ability, he just doesn’t have any luck,’’ she said.
“We may as well throw him in the deep end but I like him, he’s frustrating for me and the owners getting beaten by short margins.
“He’ll be on pace there somewhere. With the light weight he’s definitely worth something the place, I’m not taking him there just to be a travelling companion.”
– Racing NSW
