Most of them are entered for the Country Championships Preview Class 4 Handicap over 1300m but others are nominated, some doubly, for the Class 2 Plate over 1400m.

Port Macquarie has strong nominations in Portatorio, Explosive Scene, Miss Money Talks, Dixie Lad and Shotgun Roulette, Taree Wingham can also figure with Ocean Grand, Ever So Natural, Another Valley, Marmaduke's Lady and Aim For Glory, whereas the Kempsey district is represented by Gladstone's Art's Got A Gun, although a surprise could be on the cards.

The club has decided that the Class 4 Prelude will double as the annual Hannam Vale Cup which boasts a trophy of an old cream can and a horse rug donated by Ken and Jan Rowe from the Coopernook Hotel.

Entry is free and the club is expecting a enthusiastic crowd, many of them coming from the Hannam Vale district in a free bus.

Many of the aspirants are last start winners.

Some have been racing well in the city and others will be hoping to get that extra win or qualifying prizemoney to be in the qualifier at the $240,000 Taree Wingham Race Club TAB meeting,the richest meeting staged by the club,on Sunday,February 28.

The step-up to 1300m of the cup and the 1400m of the Class 2 event should provide ample grounding for the qualifier and the final at Royal Randwick, both over 1400m.

Three-year-old gelding Portatorio is the boom horse in country starts,having had only five starts for trainer Jenny Graham for three wins and a second, its latest start resulting in a 2.8 lengths win under the guidance of Hall Of Fame jockey Robert Thompson over 1100m at Grafton.

It has had two easy wins at Taree over 1000m and 1250m and in each case has looked every bit as a galloper going places.

Taree trainer Cliff Bashford has been at pains to find the right races for his two, Taree winner Ever So National,and city winner two starts back in Ocean Grand.

Four-year-old gelding Ever So Natural ran slick time when scoring over 1005m at Taree on January 19 and that was when carrying top weight and two classes out of its depth.

It has since run third over 1100m at Canterbury on February 3.

Four-year-old gelding Ocean Grand scored over 1200m at Rosehill in a Highway race, wasn't suited by the soft track when 8th over 1100m at Royal Randwick on January 26 and was scratched from a 1200m race at Royal Randwick on Saturday after rain softened the track.

Coming into form in the past few weeks have been Taree three-year-old filly Another Valley, three wins from its past five starts and Taree winners at its last meeting, Port's Miss Money Talks and Shotgun Roulette.

Four-year-old mare Miss Money Talks, trained by Glen Hodge, came from well back to score in the last couple of bounds over 1255m, making it two wins and three placings from six starts, it being nominated for the Class 2 event only at Tuesday's Krambach races at Taree.

"In her first preparation she ripped and teared in her races but now she is learning how to race," Hodge said.

Owners paid $10,000 for the mare which had a throat operation before she raced.

Three-year-old filly Shotgun Roulette, trained by Wayne Wilkes and entered for both races, won at Taree at her third starts and also came from the rear to win.

"That's her pattern of racing - she did the same in her trials,'' Wilkes said.

"I would like her to be in The Championships and I am hoping that I have enough wins for her to be there."

It was a promising win as she was hampered at the start and during running.

A lot of interest is in five-year-old gelding Explosive Scene, trained by Marc Quinn, it returning from a spell after it was eighth to last year's Country Final winner Artlee.

It has since run third in a barrier trial to Marmaduke's Lady, trained on the track by Graeme Shultz, it also being set for The Championships after just failing to make the final last year.

There are plenty of others which could upset in the two most intriguing races,well worth the free entry, on a card packed with plenty of action and excitement.