TEN of the first 14 horses in the market for the $500,000 Country Championship Final at Randwick on April 6 have qualified.
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The remaining four are nominated for the $50,000 Championship Wild Card (1280m) at Muswellbrook on Sunday.
However, only first and second will fill the last two spots in the Final, underlining just how important the Wild Card is to the hopes of so many owners and trainers.
The four horses high up in the futures market who need to qualify through the Wild Card are Noble Boy ($4.50 equal favourite), Handle The Truth ($15), Moobi and Our Rosemaree, both at $26.
However, the strength of nominations for the Wild Card are such that Our Rosemaree, trained at Shoalhaven Heads by Terry Robinson, might not get a start.
Thirty-two horses have been nominated and Our Rosemaree, with a benchmark of 68, is well down the order of entry.
"This is the highest-rated Wild Card we have had and I think a horse will need a benchmark of 70 or above to be sure of a start," Muswellbrook Race Club manager Duane Dowell said.
"It is going to be a great race on a great program of racing.
"Our decision to move the Godolphin Tiara and the Starmaker Two-Year-Old from the spring to Wild Card day has certainly been the right one.
"The strength of nominations for both races is outstanding, particularly the Starmaker.
"It is going to be a great lead-up to some of the major two year-old-races coming up."
Thirty-seven horses have been nominated including from eight city stables with Peter and Paul Snowden and John Sargent nominating two each and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Gerald Ryan, Bjorn Baker, Jason Coyle and Ciaron Maher and David Eustace one apiece.
Such is the strength of the Starmaker that consideration is being given to splitting it, turning Sunday's program into a nine-race card.
The interesting runner is Utzon, nominated by Maher and Eustace.
The white filly started favourite in the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield in October but finished a well-beaten ninth.
She was spelled and resumed with a third over 1000m at Adelaide's Morphetville Park last month.