Gary Harley – Herald – 20.11.25
The Newcastle Jockey Club back up from a highly successful The Hunter race day last Saturday with a seven-race program on the course proper on Thursday. Back in the 1980’s, the champion jockey Ron Quinton rode a freakish grey mare Emancipation trained by close friend Neville Begg. The mare won 19 of 28 starts including 6 Group 1’s and Quinton rode the Australian Hall Of Fame galloper in 27 of her 28 starts. On Thursday at Newcastle Where’s My Halo a 4-year-old mare bred and owned by Begg and trained by Quinton has bright prospects of breaking through for her first victory in the 1400 metre Kick Up For Racing Midway Maiden Handicap.
She has been runner up in two of her four starts and last start at Newcastle on October 7, Where’s My Halo was a fast finishing second a length behind Buckenara. The mare has no speed and jockey Mitchell Bell allowed her to drop out to second last before steering Where’s My Halo to the outside of the field at the top of the straight to make her run. The daughter of Hallowed Crown laid in noticeably down the straight but hit the line hard. In her previous starts at Kembla the mare again came from well back to finish second. Quinton will apply the blinkers to Where’s My Halo on Thursday and Bell retains the mount.
The speedy Wyong filly Precious Girl is due for a change of luck when she steps out in the 900 metre Davali Thoroughbreds Super Maiden Plate. She is very quick and in her two starts at Newcastle and Gosford over that short course Andrew Gibbons has ridden Precious Girl in both starts this preparation and he will be in the saddle on Thursday. Denim Wynen prepares the 3-year-old, and the barrier is okay.
The Hawkes stable will send the consistent Copacabana to Newcastle and Zac Lloyd makes the trip to ride the gelding in the 1400 metre O’Neill Tyres Maitland – Steve O’Neill Memorial Class 1 Handicap. The 5-year-old has only had one win from eleven starts but has been placed on eight occasions. After two nice trials at Rosehill in October Copacabana resumed from an eleven-month spell at Kembla on November 4. He was slow away then over raced badly for the first half of the race and had a tough run all the way off the track. The son of Toronado made good ground down the straight to be beaten two lengths. He has finished close up in Metropolitan mid-week races last preparation.
The Richard and Will Freedman stable have booked Newcastle apprentice William Stanley to ride the lightly raced Yabby Pump in the 1400 metre National Thoroughbred Week Benchmark 68 Handicap and a 2-kilogram allowance is available. Second up at Kembla on November 8 the 4-year-old was slowly away and came from second last on the turn to go down by 1.36lengths. His first up run at Newcastle on October 2 was solid when he came from well back to be within 2.19 lengths of the winner.