Former Victorian 4-year-old Edge Of Reward, runner up in all four starts for Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle is set to break through in the Tozer Air & Electrical Provincial Maiden Plate (1350m) at the Beaumont (Newcastle) track on Saturday. The lightly raced gelding has been placed in six of his eight starts. Cindy Alderson trained Edge Of Reward in Victoria where he was placed at Cranborne and Pakenham.
He has started favourite in three of his Newcastle starts and he is second favourite in the other. Last start at Wyong, Edge OF Reward was run down late with 60 kilograms on his back. On October 29 it took the boom Irish import Wrathful the length of the long Newcastle straight to run Edge of Reward down in the shadows of the post. He races well on firm tracks, and he has the rails barrier and regular rider Lee Magorrian has the mount.
Doyle trained more winners than any Newcastle trainer with the exception of Kris Lees last season and he has already prepared 23 winners in the current season. Doyle has taken over the training of Lady Fraulein which resumes from a spell in the Tozer Air & Electrical Fillies & Mares Handicap (1200m) and the mare will be hard to beat.
Formally with the Maher- Eustace stable in which she has been placed in three of her five starts, Lady Fraulein was narrowly beaten in a recent Newcastle trial. She can race on the speed however the mare came from well back when runner up at Goulburn and Gosford in the Winter. Koby Jennings has the ride on Saturday.
Kris Lees’ 2022 $500,000 Provincial Midway Championship Final Placegetter French Marine kicks off another campaign in the Tozer Air & Electrical Benchmark 68 Handicap(1150m). He does face a difficult task with 61 ½ kilograms and 14 barrier but he has sound credentials. French Marine was a $61 chance when beaten .36 of a length by stablemate Kinloch and Kiss Sum in the Provincial Midway Championships Final at Randwick in April. On May 28 the 5-year-old was a close third at Randwick behind Cotehele. French Marine has a good fresh record and the inform jockey Aaron Bullock has the mount.
The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou training partnership has two good chances in the final event the Tozer Air & Electrical Christmas Cup (1250m). Banana Queen and Mihocek will represent the Rosehill stable, and both resume with impressive trials under their belt. Banana Queen looked good in coming from way back to win a Rosehill trial under a hold.
Mihocek has drawn wide but has blinkers for the first time and finished off nicely in a recent trial. The Beaumont track will also host the annual Boxing Day race day which always attracts a huge crowd.