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Bathurst-trained Cosmologist ploughed through horrendous weather conditions to clinch an unexpected berth in the NSW Country Championships Final with an upset win in Sunday's Mudgee qualifier.

At 7:30am on Sunday Cosmologist wasn’t even in the field for the Central Districts heat of the Country Championships.

He was third emergency with little chance of a run, but by 7:37am RISA officials were on the phone to Cosmologist’s Bathurst trainer Dean Mirfin offering him a start after four scratchings.

Mirfin had a tough decision to make because he’d also accepted with Cosmologist for another race at Mudgee.

“I thought I could go close to winning race three but then I thought to myself you only get one chance at a Country Championships, I could run him in a benchmark race anywhere in a fortnight,” Mirfin said.

In perhaps the wildest conditions you will ever see, Cosmologist emerges victorious in the straight and secures his slot in #TheChampionships Final at . Noel's Gift ran a close second to also qualify. pic.twitter.com/HJh5RqaVh4

— Sky RacingFebruary 25, 2018

What no entrants had expected was the downpour that hit the Mudgee course minutes before the start. It had rained on and off during the day but bucketed as the field jump with the race run in almost zero visibility.

Cosmologist, ridden by Eleanor Webster-Hawes, led all the way to win by two-and-half lengths from Gayna Williams’ gelding Noel’s Gift (Grant Buckley).

The runner-up also qualifies for the $500,000 Country Championship Final (1400m) at Randwick on April 7.

Webster-Hawes admitted she was glad when the finishing post came up.

“The conditions were hard to ride in,” Webster-Hawes said. “It was difficult to see, difficult to hear. I was hoping Cosmologist would stick it out because he was knackered at the furlong and so was I.”

Mirfin welcomed the wet conditions.

“I thought great because I knew he was fit, he’s out of a Galileo mare and he can handle the wet track,” Mirfin said. “Every time I work him in the wet he just ploughs through it.”

His instructions to Webster-Hawes were straight to the point.

“I told her to go straight to the front, keep your colours clean and make them chase you,” Miirfin said.

“When they emerged from the fog in front it was just incredible.”

Cosmologist us unlikely to have another run before the Country Championships Final.

“He does like a bit space between his runs generally,” MIrfin said. “I had some options to give him other runs this preparation to make sure he got into this race but I took the punt with just a light prep so I will take him home and see how he pulls up.”

Mirfin has had Cosmoloigist in his care for eight months after being transferred from Brooke Somers’ Hawkesbury stables. He now boasts a record of three wins from five starts for Mirfin.

“He’s a lovely horse and I have a big opinion of him,” Mirfin said. “He’s the best horse in the stable and today he justified it.”