In fact, we have it on pretty good authority - nearly from the horse's mouth - that there's a little weariness of the topic permeating the council chambers, too, having invested many hours and pages of consultation in it.

There's not long to go now - an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for Tuesday night in the lead-up to the submission's deadline at month's end - and we urge all interested parties to stay with it to the very end.

It was the Country Championships held at Goulburn and District Racing Club on Saturday that inspired us to say 'from the horse's mouth' just now.

Race 7 was the key qualifier to reach the Royal Randwick final on April 2, and ultimate winner Lofty's Menu did a remarkably good job of charging up from behind to reach the winning post a convincing two to three lengths in front.

Trainer John Bateman said he'd instructed jockey Paul King to ride the five-year-old gelding exactly that way, even taking into account the unexpected change in weather (and change in weather again) around 3pm that day.

Now, this is not to suggest that the way the amalgamation race has played out for the council these past months has been contrived or instructed by anyone in a position of authority or influence to do so; no, not at all.

It's simply to say: compare the pair.

Lofty's Menu, with all the right preparation, expectation and intentions, found himself at the back of the pack for the first half of that race, a race with incredibly high stakes for a country meet: a $100,000 prize pool.

But come the second half of that 1400m stretch, and particularly as he ran the last leg, Lofty's Menu found his appetite to win and charged on home on the unfavoured outside, thanks to an accurate reading of the track.

We think Goulburn Mulwaree Council entered the amalgamation race with the right preparation, expectation and intentions, and halfway through found the conditions changed and unfavourable to a winning outcome for the community.

But it seems the Bourke St team have now entered the straight and picked up speed and certainty as the finish line draws near. It just remains to be seen if it proves to be a winning post at the end. Think of the prize pool: our shire.

A last word on the Country Championships: Lofty's Menu and second-place-getter Bank On Henry will both race at the Royal Randwick final on April 2. Should either take the title there, TAB will donate $5000 to Riding for the Disabled in Goulburn.

We'll follow their fortunes in the lead-up to this important day, just as we've followed the fortunes of Goulburn Mulwaree through the amalgamation race. For all we wish the very best result.