Caerless Choice (Paul Messara) and After All That (Rod Northam) have secured spots in this weekend’s final while another, All Summer Long, is an emergency.

The Messara-trained Caerless Choice won his spot in the Final when he won the Qualifying heat at Scone, beating Todd Howlett’s Nic Vendetta in a blanket finish that also included All Summer Long.

On Sunday, Muswellbrook was to have held the Wild Card, a repecharge race for heat runners to gain a late entry to the Final, but heavy rain forced its transfer to Scone.

Tamworth-trained Pelerin swooped down the outside to win Sunday’s Wild Card from After All That with All Summer Long an unlucky third for Scone’s Greg Bennett.

Bennett had won last year’s Final with Clearly Innocent while another Hunter and North West Racing Association-trained galloper, Artlee, captured the inaugural event for Muswellbrook’s Todd Willan. 

Artlee also came through the Wild Card after running third in the HNWRA heat at Tamworth.

That HNWRA-trained horses have won both Country Championships hints at more success for one of the four HNWRA horses engaged on Saturday.

Northam also has the distinction of having had runners in both Finals, running third in the first year with Voodoo Lad, and then returning last year to run last with After All That.

After All That’s run on Sunday to secure a Final berth was “brave”, said Northam and jockey Robert Thompson.

“It was a massive run,” the hoop said.

“I was very happy with him.

“He was four wide all the way and very brave.”

After All That finished last in the 2016 Country Championships Final for Northam, who also had Voodoo Lad (third) in the first decider.

“We’ll go back down and give it a crack,” he said.

“He drew awkwardly today and didn’t have the best run. 

“Hopefully we’ll get a dry track.”

It was a good day for Northam as he also won the first at Scone when Grundalina bolted in, racing away to a five-and-three-quarter length win in the $40,000 tab.com.au Showcase Maiden Plate (1300m).

A three-year-old daughter of Mossman Grundalina had shown ability on the training track for Northam but had undone that promise with some pre-race issues at her five previous starts.

Not so Sunday as she paraded well than jumped into a good spot with regular track work rider Dan Northey in the saddle.

Northey said the filly had “shown plenty in track work” and reproduced that on a “genuine soft 7” track.

Northam also enjoyed her breakthrough win.

He said she had “brought herself undone a little bit” with some disappointing pre-race performances and, while her win wasn’t a surprise, the “ease of the win was”.

“I did think she’d race well,” he said.

“She’s shown plenty of ability in track work. 

“She travelled well today, too.”

Stablemate Maitree Dee also finished third for Northam.

It was also a good day for Muswellbrook trainer Mark Schmetzer after Whirlwind Ascent returned to his best with a brilliant win while Scone’s Mary Moses has It’s A Shamozzle on track for May 12’s $200,000 Scone Cup (1600m).

With Vad Bolozhinskyi plotting a wide course It’s A Shamozzle surged down the centre of his home circuit to win the $30,000 Balmoral Showcase Open (1300m).

It was the six-year-old son of Shamardal’s seventh career win at his 20th start and took his prizemoney to $175,910.

Racing on an official Soft 7 was perfect for the gelding.

“He loves the sting out of the ground,” Moses said after the win.

“I’d love to think he’ll run in a Scone Cup but that’s a long way off - but that’s the idea.”

It’s A Shamozzle has always promised much since his debut win at Scone in a maiden almost two years ago.

Whirlwind Ascent’s Country Championships hopes might have been snuffed out by a narrow margin in the recent Scone Qualifier but he returned to form and a new direction when he won at Scone on Sunday.

The Schmetzer-trained gelding was given the run of the race by a patient Ben Looker and the talented gelding responded by winning the $30,000 Scone Equine Hospital Class 2 Showcase (1500m).

Looker had the four-year-old gelding son of Artie Schiller running third and fourth throughout before pouncing in the straight for what was a third career victory.

“He drew the one (barrier) and was always going to get a nice run,” Looker said.

“He’s a horse with a lot of ability, there’s not much between him and Art D’Amour but he’s definitely got the ability and is going to be a nice horse.

“Mark (Schmetzer) is a great trainer and he will get the best out of him.”

Whirlwind Ascent was third to Art D’Amour and All Summer Long in the recent Country Championship Preview (a prelude to the Scone Country Championship Qualifier) at Scone and then a disappointing fifth at Tamworth to Bullet Kid last time out.

Schmetzer could find no reason for that disappointment and couldn’t explain him racing badly at Tamworth.

“It was just one of those things,” he shrugged when talking to Sky Thoroughbred Central.

It may have been distance between runs or the fact he’s a lightly-framed horse, he said.

“But, he’s got a lot of ability when he’s right,” Schmetzer said.

“Ben put him to sleep perfect today and was just too good for them. 

“Obviously the Championships are gone but we’ll find another race like this and then maybe a couple of Highways in town.”