Newcastle racetrack absorbs heavy rain as good as any in the nation and despite 200 millimetres of rain on the track during the last week, Saturday’s eight race meeting went ahead without incident. Gosford trainer Adam Duggan finished the day with a winning double however the unusual preparation of his 5-year-old Devine Bene winner of the 1200 metre Rebuild Relief Provincial Benchmark 68 was a masterstroke.
Known for his consistency Devine Bene produced his worst performance when a tiring seventh more than eight lengths from the winner at Warwick Farm on July 2. However, Duggan explained the gelding had excuses. “After his previous run I noticed an abscess under his jaw, and he contracted a virus. So, I went easy on the horse and finished him up. I probably opened a few eyes when I sent Devine Bene around in a Gosford barrier trial on Thursday two days before Saturdays race. He can race fiercely and is a hard goer in his races, so he was nice and fresh on Saturday, so I wanted to take the edge off him. Devine Bene was never off the bit winning the trial and the plan worked. The horse is a five or sixth-length better horse in a heavy track. Mitch Stapleford is a very promising apprentice, and he let the horse lead, and he wasn’t recording fast sections. The horse doesn’t like racing with others around him” Duggan said.
Stapleford, a grandson of legendary Gosford trainer Albert Stapleford who rode 44 winners last season when apprenticed to Scott Singleton. He moved to Sydney to join the Joe Pride stable five or six weeks back.
Earlier in the day Duggan’s four-year-old mare Erina, made a winning debut in the 1250 metre Equi-Energy Youth Maiden Handicap. A huge drifter in betting Erina was a $12 chance when the gates opened and former Taree apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald sent Erina forward to sit outside the leader Luskintyre the short-priced favourite. Erina hit the front halfway down the straight but had to withstand strong finishes from Chris Waller’s Hermione Prancer and Kris Lees’ Via Flaminia to win by a long head. The winner was bred and raced by former Gosford trainer Peter Horsenell.
Kim Waugh’s 3-year-old filly Balmain Darling was very impressive in taking out the 900-metre opening the event the Reward Hospitality Super Maiden Handicap. On debut after two nice trials the filly was in an awkward spot in the run to the home turn but when she saw daylight in the straight Balmain Darling sprinted quickly to win comfortably by more than a length.
Arrowfield mare In Summer scored a tough win with 60.5 kilograms on her back in the 1850 metre Henderson Advocate Benchmark 64 Handicap. The 5-year-old daughter of top sire The Autumn Sun now has a record of 10 starts for 4 wins and 4 placings.
Last year’s NSW Jockeys Premiership winner Aaron Bullock rode the mare patiently dragging her back to last at the start. Bullock rode his mare on the extreme outside of the field on the home turn and the mare got there by a head.
Mollie Fitzgerald completed a double for the day when she steered home Kylie Gavenlock’s Zip On By to victory in the 1400 metre Zinc Smith Roofing Newcastle Benchmark 64 Handicap.