The running of this Saturday’s $400,000 Country Championships Final at Royal Randwick will also provide a winner in the 2017 TAB Editors’ Challenge.
The Challenge was created on the back of the runaway success of the inaugural Country & Provincial Championships Series two years ago.
With the Series attracting such a widespread following right around NSW, relevant newspaper editors were invited to ‘support their local horses’ that were heading to Royal Randwick to do battle in the two Finals of the Country & Provincial sectors.
TAB registered its support for the Editors’ Challenge and sponsored both the Country and Provincial Finals whereby the first and second horses home (first three in the Provincials) in each newspaper’s region, would then be running for the newspaper’s favourite charity in the Final.
Last year TAB generously gave $5000 to the each of the two Final winners, namely Clearly Innocent (Scone Advocate) whose selected charity was Aberdeen Men's Shed, and Danish Twist (Illawarra Mercury) with their $5000 cheque going to Friends of Wollongong Botanic Garden.
TAB also announced it would give a further $500 to each charity should their runners not win either Final. Following are the Country newspapers and their respective charities.
2017 TAB COUNTRY EDITORS' CHALLENGE
2017 TAB COUNTRY EDITORS' CHALLENGE
Venue | Winner & runner-up (TAB fixed odds for Final) | Newspaper | Charity |
Grafton | 1st-Perfect Dare ($3.50 fav) | Grafton Examiner | Westpac Rescue Helicopter |
| 2nd-Free Standing ($51) | Grafton Examiner | Westpac Rescue Helicopter |
Goulburn | 1st-Pumpkin Pie ($4.60) | Goulburn Post | Rural Fire Service / State Emergency Service |
| 2nd-Steel Frost ($15) | Goulburn Post | Rural Fire Service / State Emergency Service |
Dubbo | 1st-Stoneyrise ($26) | Dubbo Liberal | Rotary Club of Dubbo |
| 2nd-Not For Export ($101) | Dubbo Liberal | Rotary Club of Dubbo |
Taree | 1st-Cogliere ($11) | Manning River Times | Can Assist Manning Valley |
| 2nd-Shotgun Roulette ($15) | Manning River Times | Can Assist Manning Valley |
Scone | 1st-Caerless Choice ($11) | Scone Advocate | Where There's A Will Foundation |
| 2nd-Nic's Vendetta ($15) | Scone Advocate | Where There's A Will Foundation |
Venue | Winner & runner-up (TAB fixed odds for Final) | Newspaper | Charity |
Wellington | 1st-Distinctive Look ($15) | Wellington Times | Wellington Information & Neighbourhood Services |
| 2nd-Galaxy Warrior ($15) | Wellington Times | Wellington Information & Neighbourhood Services |
Albury | 1st-Lautaro ($26) | Border Mail | Albury-Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust |
| 2nd-Forever Newyork ($51) | Border Mail | Albury-Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust |
Scone* | 1st-Pelerin ($15) | Muswellbrook Chronicle | Red Door Community Kitchen |
| 2nd-After All That ($15) | Muswellbrook Chronicle | Red Door Community Kitchen |
*Wild Card transferred from Muswellbrook due to wet weather
HONOUR ROLL
2016 Scone Advocate - CLEARLY INNOCENT (Aberdeen Men's Shed)2015 Muswellbrook Chronicle - ARTLEE (Cancer Council)
