It’s a race that’s been highlighted in many country-based trainer’s calendars for some time, and this year’s running of the Newhaven Park Country Championships final at Royal Randwick on April 1st is no exception.

With three winners and a second from his past eight runners, Coffs Harbour-based conditioner Aiden St Vincent is a stable in form. He saddles up Lisztomania in this Saturday’s heat of the lucrative feature on his home surface, hoping to qualify for the final with a top-two finish.

The son of Dream Ahead has been a consistent commodity for connections winning two races and placing on a further five occasions. In fact, the four-year-old is yet to finish worse than fifth in nine career outings picking up over $80,000 in the process.

After posting his second win in impressive fashion at Port Macquarie nine days ago, St Vincent believes his charger is ready to take the next step.

“He’s pulled up very clean in the wind after Port Macquarie,” St Vincent told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday morning.

“It was just about ticking him over until now, and let’s hope he got a bit of confidence out of that win the other day.

“He pricked his ears, ran through the line very well. Looks to be suited up to the 1400m here on the big track, especially on his home track as well.”

Lisztomania showed early on that he had the potential to be competing in these sorts of races, with a close runner-up finish in a Randwick Highway at his first metropolitan attempt last June.

“I remember saying to the owner that ‘they don’t come to these Highways and do that straight up unless they’re a pretty smart horse’.” St Vincent said.

“You can come to Highways and you might run a place here and there. But when they go there straight away and they perform like that, I think it’s a really good sign that they are going to measure up in the grade.”

The fact that he is based in coastal Coffs Harbour and having such close proximity to the beach is a plus that St Vincent doesn’t take for granted.

“He pretty much lives down there (the beach).” St Vincent said.

“He’s a highly strung horse in track work and he can do a few things wrong. So he’s really matured well and putting him on the float every day, it’s been a huge advantage.”

Lisztomania currently sits at $17 with unibet in pre noms markets for the $500,000 Country Championships final.