Cody Morgan eyes Scone Country Championships qualifier after falling short in Tamworth

The local trainer had a huge delegation of 19 horses named to run across seven races at Sunday's meet in Tamworth.

Four of those horses won, but the race most on Morgan's mind was the Country Championships qualifier which headlined the day.

And though he had four horses in that fixture alone, including pre-race betting favourite Ezekeil, it was Casino Lord who, in the end, was half a length off what was almost his second-straight win.

And that result, Morgan said, made the meet "bittersweet" despite his quartet of wins.

"You have those two big races a year that you want to be involved in," Morgan said.

"To run third [Casino Lord] and fourth [Ezekeil], they've still run particularly well, and we are in the hardest region in Country NSW, there's no two ways about it.

"So we've just got to keep getting better and keep trying."

Lostma Cowboy, Acotango, Russian Standard, and Broken Hill were the four winners from Morgan's stables on the day.

Of those, the trainer believes the latter two gained the most from their victories.

"They're both horses that could potentially end up in The Kosciuszko later in the year," Morgan said.

"They've both won their last two races, they've gone back-to-back. The Kosciuszko's getting stronger each year and they needed to perform well to keep their resume looking good."

While the Country Championships qualifier on home soil was their best chance to reach the final, Morgan has another opportunity in just under three weeks' time in Scone.

While he said Ezekeil will now take a "well-deserved break", Morgan will run at least three horses in that race, but knows the odds are stacked against them.

"Acrophobic, Seguso, and Casino Lord will back up," Morgan said.

"But I'm realistic in saying that. Rod Northam will have a massive team on his home track, and they only take the one horse through.

"We'll be up against it, but we'll have a go."

He will also nominate Russian Standard to run in Scone, but is less sure about his chances as the four-year-old gelding "may not have a high enough benchmark to get in".

With a rest now booked in for Ezekeil, Morgan was not at all disappointed in the four-year-old's performance and believes he is still a strong option for the Kosciuszko.

"He didn't do his credentials any harm for the Kosciuszko later in the year," he said.

"He's won five from 16 and has a brilliant 1,200 metre record."

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