THE chance to race for big money at Royal Randwick will be up for grabs this weekend when Coffs Harbour Racing Club hosts a Newhaven Park Country Championships qualifying event.

The 2023 Country Championships series consists of seven qualifying races, each held at a club representing one racing region in NSW with Coffs Harbour representing the Northern Rivers region.

The first and second horse in each regional race will qualify for the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships final to be held at Royal Randwick in Sydney on Day 1 of The Championships on Saturday, 1 April.

Each race will be worth $150,000 in prize money, and will be contested by eligible horses that must be under the care of a country trainer in that region.

To accommodate the continuous growth and success of the series, an additional ‘Wild Card’ race will be featured in 2023.

Launched in 2015 as an initiative of Racing NSW, the Country Championships was created to support and promote NSW racing in country areas, ensuring that horses from across the state are part of The Championships in Sydney in the autumn.

The eight-race meeting at Coffs Harbour gets underway on Saturday afternoon.

Following the Country Championships, the Coffs Harbour Racing Club’s next event will be the Memorial Race Day on Thursday, 2 March.

The event is being held to honour past committee members and others who have made significant contributions to the club.

Next month also sees the club hosting Hospitality Race Day and the running of the Hospitality Cup on Monday, 20 March.

By Aiden BURGESS