Three star Mid North Coast racehorses are being geared to snare some of the major prizemoney on offer at championships in Sydney, Scone and Brisbane in the next couple of months.
They are five-year-old mare Charmmebaby and three-year-old fillies Swamp Nation and Vicky's One, the first trained at Taree by Bob Milligan and the latter by his son, Glen.
Their gallopers in the past year have won about $675,000 in prizemoney and the fun is about to start in earnest for the three which cost a total $28,000.
Charmmebaby heads the prizemoney list with $434,000 following big wins in last year's qualifier for the Country Championships, in Sydney and Brisbane and in the 2021 Taree Gold Cup.
She came back into work a week ago and is being prepared for a tilt at the $200,000 Dark Jewell Cup over 1400m at Scone on May 13.
"She has done well during her spell and with it being so wet she has a somewhat bleached coat," Glen Milligan said.
"The weather has toughened her up and prior to the Scone race she will look for a race over 1200m to get her racing fit.
"Depending how she goes at Scone, she also has the Brisbane winter cup carnival to head for as she has won up there late last year."
February's winner of the MNCRA Qualifier for the Country Championships, Swamp Nation, is set to tackle a race at Newcastle this Thursday in readiness for the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships at Royal Randwick on April 2, the same day as Manning Valley Race Club's TAB meeting at Taree.
Meanwhile, it has been third time lucky for Glen as he tried to assemble sufficient rating points for Vicky's One which was sixth to Swamp Nation and was aiming at the $50,000 Wild Card race at Scone on Sunday.
First or second in that 1400m race qualifies the filly for a start in the final on April 2.
"It is a dream to have one in the final not alone two," Glen said.
He was getting desperate to get the rating points when meetings at Taree and Port Macquarie were abandoned due to rain but one special arranged one at Port last week had him smiling with a win under the guidance of jockey Grant Buckley.
"She has a habit of boring in so I took the blinkers off and she ran more truly.
"The field travelled at a good pace up front and this allowed her to use her finishing burst under hands and heels.
"She has pulled up well and in scoring over 1500m she will run a solid 1400m in the final if she gets there.
"I think she will be a 2000m horse later,"Glen said.
Certainly interesting times ahead for the Milligan stable!
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