Cecil Hodgson will wait until Thursday before committing to this weekend's Country Championships Wild Card event with A Martin Placepick.
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The gelding was second on the line of betting in the Western Racing Association qualifier at Dubbo Turf Club last month but missed out on a top two finish and progression through to the $500,000 Country Championships Final at Randwick.
The Wild Card at Muswellbrook is open to horses from across the state who missed out in the respective heats and gives them one last chance to qualify for the April 6 feature final.
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A Martin Placepick was one of 32 nominations received for the $50,000 race but Coonamble-based Hodgson is no certainty to accept.
"The owners are keen to go so I'll see how he is on Thursday," Hodgson said.
"It's a long way to go. All the favourites have been beaten so it's going to be a pretty hard race.
"If he's alright tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday then I suppose he'll go."
The first two past the post in the Wild Card will take the last of the 16 spots in the Country Championships Final.
Hodgson confirmed A Martin Placepick pulled up well from his fourth-placed finish in the Dubbo heat.
There was a huge amount of hype around the six-year-old gelding in the lead-up to that event and he was favourite for much of the build-up before a late surge for eventual winner Westlink.
The Coonamble trainer admitted he was disappointed with A Martin Placepick's run, saying he should have at least run a place that day.
The gelding may have recovered well since that run but the Coonamble track has been closed recently as it undergoes repairs.
That has been far from ideal for Hodgson and has forced him to work A Martin Placepick on a sand track.
"Some sand tracks can knock horses around a bit more so we'll just have to see how he is," Hodgson said.
If he does run in the Wild Card he is certain to meet a hot field.
Noble Boy remains the joint-overall Country Championships favourite despite missing out in the Goulburn heat and he is set to be ridden by Hugh Bowman in the Wild Card.
Also among the nominations are Mudgee pair Ori On Fire and El Mo, trained by Cameron Crockett and Gayna Williams respectively.
Ori On Fire was the favourite in the recent Central Districts Qualifier at Mudgee Race Club but had to settle for a fourth-placed finish that day while El Mo was a late scratching in that race.
Both Crockett and Williams are already set to race in the final at Randwick after running one-two at Mudgee with Soul Secrets and Noel's Gift.
Also among the nominations for the Wild Card is the Stephen Jones-trained Hit The Target, which ran third in the heat at Scone.
A Martin Placepick was the lone hope from the heat at Dubbo which was nominated for the Wild Card.
The final fields will be released on Thursday.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
