Australia: Healing Hands tries to qualify for another appearance in the Country Championship

Healing Hands is a 6-year-old Australian-bred gelding who has thrived in sprints despite a disrupted career.

A winner of 5 of 9 starts, Healing Hands has won at distances ranging from five to seven furlongs, but has not raced since a sixth-place finish in the Country Championship at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last April.

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Getting back to that race is a goal for trainer Gayna Williams, who starts Healing Hands in a qualifier for the Country Championship at Mudgee Racecourse on Sunday. Healing Hands won the corresponding race a year ago on Monday in his most recent win.

Healing Hands needs a top-two finish on Sunday to qualify for this year’s final on April 3. The series is restricted to horses that have been based with countryside trainers in the state of New South Wales since last July and not with trainers at the major metropolitan tracks. After appearing in the final, horses must be based with a countryside trainer for an additional year.

The transfer of a horse to a trainer based at New South Wales city tracks, another state in Australia, or internationally may result in the forfeiture of purse money earned in the series, according to eligibility requirements.

Williams is based at Bathurst, about 120 miles from Sydney.

Healing Hands is part of a full field of 14 and has had two recent schooling races at five and 6 1/4 furlongs in preparation for a comeback.

On Jan. 29 at Bathurst, Healing Hands was last of seven in a schooling race, finishing 4 1/2 lengths behind Chevconi, who starts in Sunday’s race.

Chevconi, also trained by Williams, finished fourth by 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at Bathurst on Feb. 8 in his first start since August.

The Mudgee race is the second start following a three-month layoff for Amy’s Shadow, who was fourth in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Dubbo Racecourse on Feb. 14, closing from seventh to be beaten about 3 3/4 lengths.

Amy’s Shadow has won 4 of 11 starts in her career, including two handicaps at Randwick, at seven furlongs and a mile, in September and October.

The eight-race at Mudgee begins at 8:55 p.m., Eastern, or 5:55 p.m., Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.