Gary Harley.
Zac Lloyd enjoying a great season with 104 winners in New South Wales travels up the M1 for Tuesday’s Newcastle Jockey Club race meeting in which he has been booked for five early favourites on the seven-race program.
Lloyd kicks off the day on the former Victorian 4-year-old Close To Midnight in the opening event the 900 metre Dailey Family Funerals Midway Class 1 Handicap. The Son of I Am Invincible had ten starts for the Corstens/Larkin stable for a win and four placings before joining the Newcastle stable of James Harding. He led all the way to win a Wyong trial for his new trainer on April 24 without being ridden out, then raced fiercely early outside the speed before being taken back and unextended when having a soft trial on the Beaumont track on May 4.
Lloyd’s shortest priced mount is the Ciaron Maher trained Decalogue in the 1850 metre Davali Thoroughbreds Maiden Plate. The odds-on favourite was climbing on the leaders heels when racing third on the rail in the early stages of a Canterbury 1900 metre Maiden last start on April 22. The 3-year-old settled down mid race and was bolting with no where to go at the top of the straight. Decalogue reached the front in the last 100 metres but was nailed on the post. Lloyd has ridden the gelding in two of his last three starts and he was narrowly beaten in both.
The jockey hops aboard the Matthew Smith’s in-form lightly raced mare Stellar Rhonda in the 1600 metre Hungerford Hill Wine Country Cup and she is unbeaten in her only two starts this preparation. The 4-year-old came from the tail of the field eight lengths off the leader at the 800, before taking off before the turn to win a 1400 metre Nowra Maiden on April 5. Last start on Anzac Day Stella Rhonda bolted in with a 1600 metre Gosford Benchmark 64 after being worse than midfield 800 metres from home. She has to overcome a wide barrier however, it’s a long run from the ‘1600’ to the first turn and the mare will relish the spacious track.
Another good mount for the ‘young gun’ is the Tom Charlton Kiwi bred 3-year-old Three Arrows in the 1200 metre The Prince Of Merewether Benchmark 64 Handicap. The gelding debuted in the Spring with two wins and a close third from three starts before a spell. In all three starts the gelding has either led or raced outside the leader. Three Arrows has been ridden by Lloyd in two recent trials and he was ridden out hands and heels from midfield to win a recent Randwick trial.
David Payne’s Clanwilliam is another early favourite ridden by Lloyd in the 1500 metre NewFM/2HD Maiden Plate. The 3-year-old has solid metropolitan form for a race like this.