Free Standing's surprise win  in today’s $400,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final at Royal Randwick has won the Westpac Rescue Helicopter a $5000 donation after taking out the 2017 TAB Editors’ Challenge.

Free Standing was running in the Country Championships Final on behalf of the Grafton Examiner as part of the 2017 TAB Editors challenge.

The northern NSW newspaper had nominated the charity as its local recipient of TAB’s donation. 

EARLIER: The running of Saturday’s $400,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final at Royal Randwick will also provide a winner in the 2017 TAB Editors’ Challenge.

Newspaper editors in regional areas are invited to support local horses heading to Royal Randwick for the two finals of the Country and Provincial sectors.

As part of the challenge, the first and second horses home (first three in the Provincials) in the qualifiers in each newspaper’s region run on behalf of the editor’s nominated local charity in the final.

In the 2017 Country Championships, the Goulburn Post has Pumpkin Pie and Steel Frost running for the local Rural Fire Service/State Emergency Service, the Daily Liberal in Dubbo has Stoneyrise and Not For Export racing on behalf of the Rotary Club of Dubbo, Taree’s Manning River Times has Cogliere and Shotgun Roulette running for Can Assist Manning Valley and the Scone Advocate has Caerless Choice and Nic's Vendetta representing Where There's A Will Foundation.

The Border Mail has Lautaro and Forever Newyork racing for Albury-Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust, the Wellington Times has Distinctive Look and Galaxy Warrior racing for Wellington Information & Neighbourhood Services, the Muswellbrook Chronicle has Pelerin and After All That running for Red Door Community Kitchen, and Grafton Examiner has Perfect Dare and Free Standing running for Westpac Rescue Helicopter. 

TAB supports the Editors’ Challenge and sponsors both the Country and Provincial finals.  

Last year TAB gave $5000 to the each of the two final winners.

Clearly Innocent was representing the Scone Advocate’s selected charity, Aberdeen Men's Shed, and Danish Twist earned the Illawarra Mercury’s nominated local group, Friends of Wollongong Botanic Garden, a $5000 cheque too.