A winning treble at Mudgee on September 7 by Warwick Farm trainer David Vandyke underlines the changing of face of race meetings held within a 300km radius of Sydney.

Vandyke took four horses to Mudgee for three wins and a second including his second $25,000 Black Nugget Cup in three years with Spice Of Life.

Country clubs are delighted to welcome the likes of Vandyke to their meetings as they add quality to their fields, often bringing a top city jockey that attracts the attention of punters.

Blake Shinn rode for Vandyke at Mudgee and there is no doubt the mounts of the Melbourne Cup winning jockey attracted thousands of extra dollars in TAB turnover.

The Mudgee meeting was yet another example of how country TAB meetings within three to four hours of Sydney are increasingly becoming the domain of metropolitan and provincial trainers, placing more pressure on struggling country stables to compete against this better quality opposition.

The city and provincial trainers cannot be blamed for targeting these country meetings. Prizemoney increases over the last two years have made these meetings hard to ignore for many metro stables burdened with a glut of horses that cannot win in the city.

They have no option than to target easier country events, especially with their maiden and low class horses, in the hope of returning valuable prizemoney to their owners.

Tracks like Goulburn, Scone, Muswellbrook, Cessnock and Canberra now hold meetings that attract fields on a par with Hawkesbury, Gosford, Kembla Grange and Wyong provincial fixtures, especially their maiden races.

Nowra and Moruya on the south coast, Taree and Port Macquarie to the north and over the mountains to Bathurst and Mudgee are other venues attracting city and provincial-trained runners in growing numbers.

Vandyke's record epitomises the success city stables can enjoy at these meetings.

Since June 23 Vandyke has started 32 horses at a spread of country meetings for the outstanding strike rate of 14 wins at Goulburn, Canberra, Mudgee, Scone and Cessnock, an example of the rewards to be had for city trainers prepared to travel to these centres with mostly better quality horses.

Some, like the late Guy Walter, had the foresight to go a step further and establish a satellite country stable, principally for his unexposed horses and second tier performers. The Walter stable at Goulburn was a huge success with the trainer winning more than 240 races at Goulburn and Canberra alone over the years.

Mudgee, along with Gouburn and Nowra, has played a big part in Vandyke’s success over the last two seasons. His treble last Sunday took his tally of wins at the central west track since the start of the 2012/13 season to 10.

His Mudgee run began when he won the 2012 Black Nugget Cup with Servimoss. He has since returned to win the Mudgee Cup, Gooree Cup and a second Black Nugget Cup.

This year’s Black Nugget winner Spice Of Life is becoming a valuable country performer for the Vandyke stable. Last year the gelding won the rich Soldier's Saddle at Bathurst.

"This horse is undefeated first up and he doesn't like the sting out of the ground,” Vandyke said after Sunday’s win.

“He likes a good surface. He is a horse who will win in town."

Sadly that last comment cannot be applied to the majority of horses the Vandyke team raced against at Mudgee, highlighting the gulf between the quality of horses to be found in city stables when opposed to their country rivals.