Wagga trainer Gary Colvin will keep Nic's Hero at home for Saturday's $150,000 SDRA Country Championships Qualifier (1400m).
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Colvin was keen to send Nic's Hero to Rosehill on Saturday for the $100,000 TAB Highway Class Three Handicap (1400m) but scratched the horse after drawing barrier 14.
It will now be full steam ahead to Saturday's SDRA qualifier at Murrumbidgee Turf Club, where Nic's Hero, alongside defending champion Another One, provides Colvin with a two-pronged attack.
"I thought I would see what he draws and make up my mind but it can't be worse than that," Colvin said.
"I thought it might have been a little bit weaker in Sydney too but they had 32 acceptors so we'll keep him here and go to the Championships."
Adrian Layt will ride Nic's Hero at Wagga.
The four-year-old returned from a spell at Wagga with a fourth placing on January 26. He then went to Randwick for a Highway last start but only beat one home behind Testator Silens.
"The 1200 the other day he was just run off his legs," Colvin said.
"He really needed the run and had a good blow afterwards. He should improve a fair bit on that. He's had a jump out, a couple of runs so he should be ready to do something."
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MURRUMBIDGEE Turf Club is expecting a strong crowd for Saturday's Country Championships meeting.
Tickets to the charity luncheon featuring Jim Cassidy have sold out but remain available for the Party on the Paddock with DJ Chunky Dip.
Gates will open at midday for the first race at 1.20pm with the music set to continue to 7pm, well after the last race at 5.45pm.
There will also be free buses taking racegoers into the CBD from 5.30pm.
Meantime, the festivities will kick off on Thursday with Dave Stanley broadcasting Sky Sports Radio from the MTC from 9am to 1pm.
The MTC is hosting trainers, trackwork riders and stablehands for bacon and eggs roles and coffees as part of the broadcast.
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THE racing community is mourning the loss of Mick Whybrow.
Whybrow passed away this week after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Pat and children Joanne and Michael.
Whybrow was a well-known trainer at Wagga through the 70s and 80s and then maintained his involvement in racing since then and worked for the Gary Colvin stable for a number of years.
Whybrow enjoyed his fair share of succss with Candara Boy one of his better horses.
Gary Colvin said Whybrow would be dearly missed.
"He was a dead-set legend," Colvin said.
"He was part of the furniture over here. He helped build these stables.
"He was a good old horseman. He could do anything. He was a big part of my life and it's very sad, we'll miss him."
Fellow Wagga trainer Ron Steiner described Whybrow as a 'good, hard working bloke."
A graveside service will be held at Wagga Lawn Cemetery at 10.30am on Thursday.
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WAGGA trainer George Dimitropoulos will put Mouse Almighty to the test at Canterbury on Friday night.
Tyler Schiller has been booked to ride the last-start Canberra winner in the $50,000 Benchmark 72 Mares Handicap (1100m).
The mare has won five of her 28 starts and has raced in Sydney once before when ninth in a Highway back in May, 2020.
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CHAMPION jockey Damien Oliver will pilot unbeaten three-year-old Well In Sight at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Leading Southern District trainer Mitch Beer has a big day in front of him on Saturday with the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier but the night before, will chase a city victory.
After two impressive wins at Albury to kick off her career, Well In Sight will step up to city class in the $75,000 3YO Benchmark 64 Handicap (1200m).
Owned and syndicated by Patriot Bloodstock, Well In Sight has drawn barrier nine in the last race of the night.
Beer rates Well In Sight as the perfect candidate for next year's Country Championships. She is likely to head to the paddock after Friday night's run.
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TOP Sydney jockey James McDonald will get the next steer on exciting Albury three-year-old Sparring.
The hype around Sparring before and after his debut is something Albury trainer Ron Stubbs has not experienced before and that continued when McDonald's manager came ringing for the ride.
McDonald will ride Sparring in Saturday week's $100,000 TAB Highway Class Two Handicap (1000m).
There has been plenty of interest in the three-year-old gelding but he is staying in Albury for now.
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KOORINGAL Stud will launch its draft for its Inglis Digital Online sale this week.
The sale runs from Friday February 18 to February 23. Kooringal will conduct a yearling parade in conjunction with the sale at 11.30am on Friday.
There will be 12 yearlings available at the sale, including nine from new sire Prized Icon. There are also yearlings by Duporth, Squamosa and Smart Missile.
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MURRUMBIDGEE Turf Club and Gundagai-Adelong Race Club have made a switch in race days.
Wagga will now race on Sunday April 10, to coincide with the NRL game being held in Wagga the night before between Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm.
Gundagai Cup day has now been brought forward a week to Sunday April 3.
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TALENTED Tumut sprinter Cattledog Cod has been retired.
Cattledog Cod held a special place in the Kerry Weir stable, being the first horse he and his wife Michelle had bred.
Unfortunately injury plagued his career, but he did manage to win six races and $81,000 in prizemoney from 25 career starts.
He burst onto the scene with a win on debut at Wagga as a two-year-old in January 2016, but then was not sighted again for 15 months after breaking his leg.
Cattledog Cod, now eight, was retired after his latest run at Canberra earlier this month.
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WHAT'S ON
GALLOPS
Saturday: Wagga (TAB)
TROTS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
Tuesday: Temora (TAB)
DOGS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
Sunday: Temora (TAB)