Badge eyes Country Cups Challenge after Prairie target

By Glenn Davis

The Country Cups Challenge Final in Brisbane will be on trainer Mark Oates' radar if Badge wins the Prairie Cup on Saturday.

Oates has only had one starter in the Country Cups Challenge Final, when Van Winkel ran in the 2021 edition at Doomben.

Badge will be ridden by Jason Babarovich in the 1400 metre Prairie Cup and comes into the race off a last-start second to Bevan Johnson-trained Shoalwater Bay in last month's Springsure Cup.

"It was a great run at Springsure and the winner was too good on the day, but it was only his second run after having six months off," Oates said.

"He had a good campaign last time in and won a few races, but his owners wanted to give him a long spell.

"There was nothing wrong with him when he went out and he's going well."

Badge has been a bargain buy for Oates, who picked him up for only $1,000 when he was racing around the Victorian picnic circuit.

"He's been a great buy and I got him as a Class 1 horse and he's now in open company," the conditioner said. 

"If he races well on Saturday, then he'll run in the Longreach Cup next, which is a qualifying race for the Country Cups Challenge in Brisbane," he said.

Oates is an Indigenous trainer who prepares a team of nine while also running a spray-painting business.

"I used to be a jockey and started my apprenticeship at the same time as I was an apprentice spray painter," he said.

"I still ride all my horses in work and I still ride occasionally at the picnic meetings."

Oates has been a popular trainer for several decades in Central West Queensland and has won several Cups in the region.

"I've won a few Cups out this way, but I'm yet to win the Prairie Cup," he said.

"But, I think Badge has a great chance and hopefully he will be in the first three.

"He's been to Prairie before and won a Benchmark 55 last year, so he can handle the track."