Million dollar glory for Gorrel as Asgarda wins Country Championships Final

Asgarda ($26) upstaged the best country racing has to offer as she raced away to post a dominant victory in the first million dollar running of the Country Championships Final (1400m).

Two weeks ago, Gorrel was toiling away with a team at Ardlethan picnics but on Saturday he was running shoulders with the game's elite on one of the biggest days of racing on the Australian calendar.

Canberra jockey Kayla Nisbet produced a superb ride as Asgarda relished the heavy conditions to race away and score by a length and a quarter.

Gorrel, who only moved home to Wagga two years ago from Canberra to expand his fledging training operation, was still coming to terms with the enormity of the win on Saturday.

"Right now it means the world," Gorrel told ACM on Saturday night while driving Asgarda home from Randwick.

"We get up at 4am every morning and it's what we do to win races of any sort and we love winning a maiden at the picnics but it is a different level to win something like that.

"It makes all the 4am starts in driving rain and icy cold mornings, it makes it all worthwhile.

"That's by the biggest far win we've had, it's a million dollar race, it's considered the best 16 country horses in those grades and they are good horses, when you consider they are the best 16 class four and five horses. Bandi's Boy showed that, he won a group three last week.

"So it was a massive thrill and I'm just so pleased for those owners."

Lance Gilbert, formerly the publican of the Yenda pub, races Asgarda with a group of mates and Wagga's Kooringal Stud, who he bred the mare with.

Gorrel loved experiencing the win with both the owners and his family.

"They're largely Griffith boys, Yenda Blueheelers old boys, tough old buggers," he said.

"Lance Gilbert is the major owner and he had a tear in his eye. I had a tear in my eye but he's just as big a sook! It means the world to him because he bred the horse with Kooringal Stud.

"I was thrilled to train winners for Kooringal Stud because when I turned up, they had a couple of horses for me and they gave me this girl.

"My staff have done a terrific job with her, Anaelle (Gangotena) in particular, because she was difficult. She's got a bit of attitude, like a lot of the good ones do have. She's turned into a real professional.

"I had my wife Fiona, daughter Kia and son Owen there. They love coming but they're not as mad about the sport as Kia and I are. They had a great day. The young fella, I don't think he's had a bet in his life and he's had $25 each-way so he was thrilled."

The win continued a phenomenal rise by Asgarda, who only won her maiden on Gundagai Cup day 12 months ago on Sunday.

She now boasts 12 starts for five wins, four minor placings and $764,000 in earnings.

"Every race this time she's improved," Gorrel said.

"That's a big jump. (Sunday's) Gundagai Cup win was her maiden win only a year ago. She's come a hell of a long way to a maiden 12 months ago to where she is now."

Gorrel, a former racing journalist, said he never in his wildest dreams imagined winning a $1 million race when he took up training about 10 years ago.

"No, no, I honestly loved racing and I love winning races and I've always trained horses I own, I just love winning a race, it doesn't matter winning a Tumut maiden or a Rosehill on a Wednesday," he said.

"They were all so much fun.

"I just thought it was the sport and everything but in time I grew to love the animal, they are magnificent animals and this probably means a lot more because we've had this horse right from the time that Darrell Burnet finished breaking her in.

"We've done all it's racing career and she went from difficult but talented to now the world's her oyster, really, if she can keep stepping up."

Gorrel had originally flagged the potential to have a crack at next month's $200,000 Wagga Town Plate (1200m) with Asgarda but has not had time to give it a second thought in amongst the craziness that was Saturday's win.

"There's a lot to think about now," he said.

"To tell you the truth, in all the excitement of today, I forgot to talk to Lance and his owners about what they want to do.

"I think we would all be in agreeance that she deserves at least a week, 10 days in the paddock at Kooringal.

"I'll probably run her out to Kooringal on Monday or Tuesday and let her have a well-earned week and a half or something. She may even get longer.

"She wouldn't look out of place in a Wagga Town Plate, on that run today, it was pretty impressive but it might just come up a bit too soon. Maybe you give her a month and target a nice mare's race.

"There's a lot of options of better races, which obviously means she does have to step up again but she ticks all of those boxes at this stage.

"Firstly we've got to see how she pulls up and whether she needs a week or two or she needs a proper spell and we'll know that by Tuesday morning."

Asgarda is the second Wagga horse to win the Country Championships Final after Another One's victory in 2022.

Albury galloper Bianco Vilano also performed credibly and finished fifth.

Gorrel has little time to rest on the win and will be straight to work on Sunday where he will take two horses to the Gundagai Cup meeting.