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Five-year-old Rory Turnbull could have quite the story to tell when he turns up at kindergarten next week after a horse named in his honour, Run Rory Run, contests Sunday’s $150,000 Newhaven Park Mid North Coast Country Championships (1400m) at Tuncurry.

The fact that Rory Turnbull can talk at all is something of a miracle given everything he's been through and horse racing has been a respite for him and his parents Arnold and Aimee over the past 18 months.

In his five years so far, young Rory has endured a premature birth. He's overcome pneumonia. He lost his ability to speak during surgery on his airways and has battled cancer.

That's just the short version.

Run Rory Run is trained by Angela Graham at Port Macquarie. Angela and her husband Nathan Kerr have been friends with the Turnbulls for many years, through Nathan playing football, and when a horse by Worthy Cause came into her stable she could think of no more worthy cause than Rory.

So five per cent was gifted to the Turnbulls, including all training fees, in the hope that Run Rory Run could not only give them some joy but earn some prizemoney along the way.

"We had a discussion about charity and Aimee and Arnold came up because it's personal,'' Graham said.

"I watched the struggle they've had with him. I have kids myself so I know they can be hard even when everything's okay.

"Every week or two they were back and forth to Sydney with medical care, Aimee couldn't work, and it was a horrible thing to watch.

"They said he'd never walk, or talk, but he's had his first week of kindergarten this week so it's a huge achievement for them.

"We're very family oriented and wanted them to come and join our family that has nothing to do with the worries they have. Rory knows that's his horse, he really does."

In nine starts to date, Run Rory Run has won just under $45,000 from three wins and Graham said he's overachieved at this point of his career.

A shot at the Newhaven Park Country Championships was a natural step after he easily won the Janice Avery Memorial (1206m), named after Angela's grandmother, on his home track back in October - largely because she feels in 12 months he'll have won more than five races.

If he can finish top two Run Rory Run will take Graham, the Turnbulls and all the horse's owners to Royal Randwick for the chance to race for $500,000 on April 1 - wouldn't that be a dream result!

"It's been better than what I thought because he's so immature, I really thought it would be a longer wait,'' she said.

"Aimee and Arnold didn't know anything about racing until we offered them to come and be involved. They came to trackwork one morning and couldn't believe all of it.

"They've been to every one of his wins at Port and just loved it. Rory took home the memorial sash from the win of my nan's race and has it hung up in his house."

If Rory Turnbull's story isn't enough sentiment to ride with the horse, one of the gelding's original owners, Brent McPhee, passed away just prior to his first win with his brother Greg taking over the share and vowing to race the horse for him.

Sentiment alone won't win you any horse race, though, and while Graham said Run Rory Run's lead up to Sunday's race wasn't ideal she saw enough in it to take something positive away.

He finished ninth, beaten just over three lengths, behind Fortyfive Parklane at Grafton on January 22. It was a head-scratching performance but Graham is confident she's found the reason.

"He had a few hiccups and I had to iron them out and go again. It hasn't affected him,'' she said.

"I think the hot day at Grafton, and the travel, might have been too much for him. As I go forward to Tuncurry he'll be kept as comfortable and as cool as possible.

"I'm confident in the horse himself.

"As much as Grafton wasn't the ideal run he still jumped, settled, and relaxed which for him is a huge deal. He has problems with rushing through and not relaxing so to be doing that it shows me he is maturing.

"It is a hard race but he can get the trip and if he can get his own way he'll give it everything he's got."

It would be remiss not to mention that Angela is the daughter of 2018 Newhaven Park Country Championships winning trainer Jenny Graham, who won the Final that year with Victorem.

She'll go head to head with her mother at Tuncurry as Jenny saddles up Evocator in the race. To add to the family flavour, the mother of a couple of Run Rory Run's owners has a stake in Evocator.

"It really is a family affair, mum and I couldn't care who wins as long as one of us gets there,'' she said.