Gary Harley
Newcastle -Hunter Hall Of Fame trainer Paul Perry combined with Newcastle based apprentice jockey William Stanley to win the final two races at the Newcastle race meeting on Saturday. Bookmakers would have cheered home both of the winners Princess Cruizer and General Soho as the pairs starting prices of $51 and $18 would indicate. Princess Cruizer drifted in betting from $26 to $51 on Saturday when she lined up in the 1250 metre Team EST Benchmark 68 Handicap. The 5-year-old mare had been placed in her previous two starts at Newcastle and Wyong and two of her previous four wins were on the Newcastle track.
On Saturday the mare was allowed to settle in the second half of the field before Stanley steered her into the clear and the daughter of Perry’s Royal Ascot hero Choisir finished powerfully to put her nose in front in the shadows of the winning post. There was late betting support for 10-year-old General Soho which firmed from $21 into $18 prior to the 1600 metre Chamberlains Law Firm Benchmark 68 Handicap. The gelding had won eleven of his sixty-eight previous starts including five at Newcastle and he was a winner on his home track on March 12. On Saturday he jumped well but drifted back and was in the second half of the field at the top of the straight. Stanley gained clear running halfway down the straight and in a driving finish General Soho was the toughest. Perry has trained more than 3000 winners while Stanley has ridden 147 winners. He moved from Orange to join the Kris Lees stable towards the end of 2024 and he completed his apprenticeship in October. Stanley has ridden 31 winners this season and apart from his double on Saturday he also rode placegetters in three other races.
Tuscany sold for $1.5 million in 2024 when a yearling, broke through for his first win in the 1250 metre Safegroup Automation Maiden Plate. Winless in five starts when in the Waterhouse-Bott stable the now 3-year-old was sold to his current owners for $210,000 in October last year. Saturday was his second start for new trainer Tom Charlton, and the gelding was given a well-judged ride by Keagan Latham. Tuscany led by three lengths after 300 metres and he was never in danger, scoring by 2.5 lengths.
The Hawkes stable have a very promising stayer in the 4-year-old Cavalry, a son of the stables Doncaster Handicap winner Brutal. The gelding had been in the Melbourne stable before he returned to Sydney and bolted in with a Newcastle Maiden on March 31. On Saturday Cavalry returned to Newcastle to put 4.8 lengths on his rivals in the 1890 metre Lambourne Partners Benchmark 64 Handicap. Wayne Hawkes was at Newcastle when Cavalry won two starts back and he predicted he would develop into a Group horse.
Hawkesbury based jockey Chad Lever rode the first two winners at Newcastle, both trained at Kembla. Lever was aboard the Ross McConville trained C’Mon Flyer a narrow winner of the 1890 metre Dynamic Business Technologies Maiden Handicap. Then followed up with a narrow victory on $1.75 favourite Band On Time trained by Kerry Parker in the 1250 metre Maple Design + Construction Maiden Plate.