Gary Harley
The Nathan Doyle stable is closing in on its best ever season following another successful day on Saturday with a double at the HBCF Pink race day at Newcastle on Saturday and a winner ridden by the stables apprentice at Randwick. Doyles hometown winners were the well-bred Home Affairs filly Sprightly Affair and the inform mare Turning Circle while Cool Waters finished second. All three were ridden by Jean Van Overmier.
At Randwick, stable apprentice Shannen Llewllyn steered Aroha Stone to victory and in doing so the talented lady notched up her 60th win for the season including seven on Metro tracks. Sprightly Affair was first up in the 900-metre Beresfield Bowling Club Midway 2 & 3-Year-old Maiden Handicap, and the $7.50 chance began quickly and after settling in third place raced to the lead in the straight and came away to win by more than two lengths. Her breeding indicated Sprightly Affair is a valuable filly with her sire Home Affairs one of Australia’s boom younger sires and she is a grand daughter of the champion Snitzel.
Turning Circle contested the 1300 metre Belmont 16’s Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap and despite only winning one of twenty-one starts previously the mare was well supported from $4.40 into $3.30. She reached the lead after 400 metres and fought off the challengers to win by a nose.
Shannen Llewellyn produced a classic patient ride to land Doyles plunge horse Aroha Stone, a narrow winner in a 1400 metre Benchmark 78 Handicap at Randwick. Backed form $26 into $9.50 the mare was in last place before making ground near the home turn. She stormed home to win by a neck.
Champion trainer Chris Waller is a great supporter of Newcastle track, and he landed a race to race double in the divisions of the 2-year-old Maiden Handicap. The races were over the 1200 metre course and the first sponsored by Club Macquarie featured ama mazing betting drift by the winner, Letters Patent trained by Waller. Bred and raced by world renowned powerhouse Godolphin, the son of Wootton Bassett was $1.90 with TAB after scratchings on Saturday morning however the colts price drifted to $3.60 when the race got underway. Jeff Penza had the mount and after driving Letters Patent forward into second place soon after the start the colt sprinted away to win effortlessly by 1.68 lengths. The following 2 year old race the HBCF Cup the famous Ingham family pink colours were carried to victory ay Wallers debut filly Elstead a clear last to leave the barriers she was in front of two others on the home turn before Lee Magorian secured a gap between runners and she raced away to win by more than a length.
Another champion Australian trainer Ciaron Maher also trained a winner on the day. Misty Veil ($1.80), a beaten favourite at Newcastle five weeks earlier, atoned with an easy win in the 900 metre The Wests Group Super Maiden Plate. Jean Van Overmier, who rode the treble on the day sent the filly forward and she cantered in by more than two lengths. The winner is bred and is owned by Gerry Harvey.
A successful plunge was landed when the Warwick Farm trained Abuse Of Power was backed form double figure odds into $3.70 before a stylish win in the 900metre MEX Club Benchmark 64 Handicap.
The Newcastle track was again the talk of the participants as stewards upgraded the track to a soft 6 at 2.30pm after it was a Heavy 10 two days earlier. An amazing recovery but no surprise as it’s one of the best.