The Newcastle Jockey Club and its magnificent racecourse delivered the most successful The Newcastle Herald Hunter race day on Saturday. It was the seventh edition of the $1 Million Newcastle Herald Hunter and the promotion of the race meeting on Sky Racing, Newcastle Herald and NBN Television was such that a record The Hunter race day crowd filtered through the turnstiles to witness high quality racing and after the race meeting entertainment from the iconic Jon Stevens.
On the superbly prepared race track popular Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride completed a Spring he will never forget when 2023 The Hunter winner Coal Crusher won the Group 2 event for the second time. His stable star Ceolwolf won two Group 1’s The King Charles the Stakes and Champions Mile and his 3-year-old Attica won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes however, Pride claimed the Hunter victory gave him the biggest thrill. “Coal Crusher loves this Newcastle track, and I have been part of some amazing wins this year with Attica and Ceolwolf, but this is the best. He is our great horse, a family horse with my 19-year-old son Brave, a part owner and he is the horse’s strapper” Pride said.
Coal Crusher hasn’t won a race for two years since he won The Hunter in 2023, but his consistency has seen him accumulate more than a million dollars in prizemoney since 2023. The winner was ridden by Chad Schofield who rated him perfectly up front with little pressure in the middle stages. Scholfield’s retired father Glynn rode Coal Crusher to victory in a benchmark race at Newcastle on The Hunter Day in 2022.
Coal Crusher ($5.50) defeated his $11 stablemate Accredited by half a length with Kris Lees Brudenell ($41) in third place. Lees was happy with Brudenell’s performance “He tried hard and had a lovely run, but the winner is a good horse, and we couldn’t run him down” Lees said.
Coal Crusher is the only horse to win The Hunter twice and Pride claimed he will be back again next year.
The famous Godolphin blue colours were carried to victory by the Bjorn Baker trained colt Green Spaces in the Group 3 New Zealand Bloodstock 3YO Spring Stakes ridden by Rachel King and it was his second win in three starts since entering Baker’s stable. The $4 second favourite Green Spaces sprinted away in the straight to win by three lengths from the Scone trained Bird Whistle and Long Legs. The colt has a staying pedigree, and the stable believes he may be an ATC Derby contender in the Autumn.
Hunter Valley born Randwick trainer Peter Snowden won his fourth Minco Tech Max Lees Classic when 2-year-old colt Seeiaye repaid his $65,000 price tag with a brilliant win on Saturday. Part owned by tennis star Nick Kyrgios the colt ridden by Josh Parr has speed to burn and he quickly led and at the winning post the $4.20 favourite was $1.71 lengths clear of runner up Mystical ($4.80).
Kris Lees Pomelo Chamomile ($9) finished third. Seeiaye is eligible for the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January and all going well, a trip back up to the Gold Coast appears certain. Snowden’s previous Max Lees Classic winners have been Strasbourg (2018), Tilia Rose (2019) and Russian Conquest (2021).
Champion trainer Chris Waller quinellaed the New Zealand Bloodstock Listed Beauford staying event on the ten-race program. Kiwi bred Asterix ($14) defeated God’s Window ($4.40FAV) by 1.04 lengths with Future History ($6.50) third. As a young horse Asterix won the 2022 NZ Derby and his last win before Saturday was the 2024 Avondale Cup at Ellerslie in February.
The Beauford was his first win in nine starts since entering the Waller stable.
Rachel King and Jason Collett were the leading jockeys at the meeting with a double each. Peter Snowden and Chris Waller both trained a double.