Depth That Varies passed the 1400-metre test and will get another chance to make it through to the Country Championships Final after just falling short on Sunday.
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The gelding had it's first run at the distance in the H&NWRA qualifier - he'd previously only raced between 950m-1200m - and sprinted home from last to finish third behind Spiranac and Pure Feugo.
While those two horses move through to the final on April 3 at Royal Randwick, Depth That Varies will go to the Country Championships Wild Card in Muswellbrook on March 21 in search of a spot in the final.
"Yesterday's efforts showed he's not too far away," trainer Luke Morgan said.
Morgan said Depth That Varies "was probably at his peak" on Sunday in what was the gelding's fourth race since a spell. However, he said the gelding wouldn't be taking any backward steps as it continued its preparation.
"Wherever he goes next, he'll be competitive. He gives 110 per cent every time," Morgan said.
"It would have been good to run one-two. Unfortunately we ran third but we were all really happy with his effort.
"He's pulled up really well and we'll definitely go to the Wild Card. It's going to be a very strong race with horses like him that finished just outside the top two of every area."
As to who will ride at the Wild Card, Morgan said he'd leave that up to the owners.
Dylan Gibbons has had the most success with Depth That Varies and was booked to ride on Sunday but was dislodged from his horse just after the winning post in race four.
He was taken to hospital and Racing NSW reported he sustained soft tissue injuries and a laceration to his lip that needed four sutures.
"Dylan's got a good association with the horse and it would have been good to see him on but the main thing is Dylan escaped serious injury," Morgan said.
Morgan added: "It threw a real spanner in the works late in the day but I think Rachael [Murray] rode the horse really, really well."
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Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
