The Newcastle Jockey Club backs up from a bumper Spring Racing carnival with a strong race midweek meeting on Thursday. Les bridge will send a promising 3-year-old Columbus to Newcastle after he was a ‘good thing’ beaten on the track on debut on September 19.
The son of Dundeel will contest the 1500 metre New Era Technology Maiden Handicap with Tyler Schiller in the saddle. The gelding carries the Arrowfield colours and he was at double figures in the 1400 metre Newcastle Maiden with Schiller aboard. He settled midfield and was badly held up in the home straight before he was checked 100 metres from home. Columbus sprouted wings when eventually in the clear and only failed by three quarters of a length. The 3-year-old will relish the additional 100 metres, and the race will be run on dry track conditions similar to his first start.
Hayek is a natural speedster from the Bjorn Baker stable, and the 3-year-old will be hard to beat when he resumes from a spell in the 900 metre Good Luck Sam Clenton @ Equimillion Maiden Handicap. The gelding was a short, priced favourite on debut at Kembla on April 15 and after leading the field finished fourth not far away from quality 2-year-old Akaysha and Beadman. He finished fourth in his other start at Randwick on April 26. Hayek has displayed blistering speed in two recent Rosehill trial wins, and he draws okay in barrier 6. He has been gelded during his spell and Regan Bayliss makes the trip for the mount.
Jason Collett is riding at the meeting and has two winnable mounts for Richard and Will Freedman stable. He rides I Am A Winner one of a number of chances in the 900 metre The Adviser Collective Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap. He was a heavily backed favourite when an easy winner of a 900 metre Newcastle Maiden on August 26 before a luckless fourth at Hawkesbury on September 11. The 4-year-old was pole axed and put out of business 200 metres from home at Hawkesbury.
Collett will also be aboard the lightly raced I Am Brave, when the I Am Invincible mare resumes in the 1200 metre Dailey Family Funerals Benchmark 64 Handicap. Collett rode the mare when an easy winner on debut at the Scone Cup Carnival on May 16 and she went to the paddock after finishing midfield in a Rosehill Benchmark 72 on May 31. She has had two recent trials and caught the eye in the recent trial at Hawkesbury when she stormed home down the outside under little pressure.
Paul Perry’s Uncle Harry indicated he was ready to win another race with a close fourth over 1500 metres at Newcastle on September 19. He is a winner on the track and the step up to 1850 metres in the A-Plus Contracting & Poly Welding Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap is ideal.
Excitement is growing in the Newcastle-Hunter region as the clubs The Newcastle Herald Hunter $1 Million a Group 2 event is only six weeks away. The race day carries prize money of $2.59 million and in a coup for the NJC the richly talented entertainer Jon Stevens former lead singer of Noiseworks and at one time INXS will perform on the track after the final event.