Cogliere books spot in $400,000 race

Sydney’s leading apprentice Andrew Adkins has returned home to Taree where he has ridden Cogliere to a qualifying win for the Country Championship final for his old boss Marc Quinn.

Cogliere ($5.50) and runner-up Shotgun Roulette ($3.80 eq fav) both qualify for the $400,000 final at Randwick on April 1.

Adkins is now with Ron Quinton at Randwick but also worked for Shotgun Roulette’s trainer Wayne Wilkes before he joined Quinn.

Cogliere has already won at Randwick, claiming a Highway race last month.

“He has been a great horse to me,” Adkins told Sky Thoroughbred Central.

“I helped break him in and I watched him grow to the horse he is now.”

Quinn said the win in the $150,000 race was his career highlight.

“It’s been a six-month plan,” he said.

“He’s a really good horse, I was really worried when the rain came but I never lost faith in the horse or the jockey.

Both first and second were promoted to the second line of betting with the TAB at $15 with regional heat winners Perfect Dare from Grafton and Goulburn’s Pumpkin Pie the $4.60 equal favourites.