The timing to have the four-year-old Magnus gelding eligible was finite and the plans looked to falter when important lead-up races and trials were abandoned due to the big wet and cancellations.

But Graham's set-up enabled some final important work and the galloper, having raced at the track for two wins in a row in December, scored by a half-head with a beautiful ride from top apprentice jockey Samantha Clenton, in resuming over 1400m.

Graham quinelled the Qualifier with Victorem and Awesome Pluck two years ago, the latter was third in last year's, and her prowess was again to the fore on Sunday.

In another bound, Taree trainer Michael Byers would have had another winner in the race with Casino Mondial, he scoring with Sheza Gypsy in 2015.

Breeder and part-owner Gerry Van Kerkhoff, from Wyong, originally had Magnalane being trained at Wyong by Damien Lane but switched trainers with the MNCRA Qualifier in mind.

"Everything worked out well," he said.

As far as Clenton was concerned, she had Magnalane in the firing line, one out, and just held on from the fast finishing Casino Mondial ($10), with .35 of a length back to $60,000 Queen Of The North victor Bellastar ($9), trained by Wayne Wilkes, with the unlucky But I Know (backed from $16 to $5.50), trained by another local trainer, Ross Stitt, close up after coming from second last.

Disappointing was the heavily backed favourite Dulette ($7.50 to $4.40), another Wilkes galloper, which finished last.

Byers said Casino Mondial missed a lot of vital work and was only 80 percent fit.

The five-year-old gelding "will be better when he gets to Sydney (for the $500,000 Final at Royal Randwick in early April) where the big stretches of Randwick will help," Byers said.

Manning Valley Race Club chairman Greg Coleman at the presentation ceremony paid tribute to the big crowd and to Racing NSW injecting the funds into the series "which is important for supporting country racing".

Clenton said "it has been a very good day", she also winning on filly Predictable Miss ($3.80) for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees in the Wingham Pizza And Pasta Showcase Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1600m.

Lees bagged a winning double with Enchanted Heart ($1.95) scoring with ridiculous ease by over four lengths for jockey Andrew Gibbons in the Wingham Accounting Services/The Smith Family Showcase Class 2 Handicap over 1300m.

Wilkes had better luck earlier with Penny Dreadful ($17), ridden by Christian Reith, scoring by nearly a length in the Manning Freight Distribution Benchmark 66 Handicap over 1000m.

Graham also had a winning double with promising four-year-old Pluck gelding Sebago, ridden by Ben Looker, overcoming traffic to score by a quarter of a length in the Lowes Petroleum Service Showcase Country Maiden Plate over 1400m.

The heavy 9 track and scratchings allowed fourth emergency mare Peachies Dream ($4.20) to scrape home by a head for jockey Belinda Hodder to register its first win at start 23 for the Taree stable of Bob Milligan in the Tinonee Soccer Club 4oth Anniversary Showcase Maiden over 1250m.

Milligan's son, Glen, his mother, Margaret, and local Dr Peter Braude were elated to finally have the win after a brilliant ride from Hodder who swept around the field, grabbed a four lengths lead into the straight and just held on, much to local cheering.

Other winners were Into The Oblivion ($2.70), trained at Newcastle by Paul Perry and ridden to a nearly four lengths margin in the Thompson Motor Body Builders Showcase Class 1 & Maiden Plate over 2000m and speedster Miss Fox ($2) which made it two wins in a row at the track in scoring by 1.5 lengths for Gosford trainer Adam Duggan and jockey Ashley Morgan in the Mavin Truck Centre Showcase Class 1 Handicap over 1000m