The Freedman brothers, Richard and Michael, have accepted with eight of their team for Saturday’s extended nine-race program at Newcastle and when contacted on Thursday Richard left no doubt as to their best chance.
“La Tigresa will run in the 1400 metre Maiden Handicap and she is clearly the best of our team at Newcastle. Her first up performance in a very strong Maiden at Newcastle two weeks ago was outstanding. The mare got back in the field and after being eight lengths off the lead at the 700m, La Tigresa unwound down the straight to get within three-quarters of a length of the winner. She has trained on well since and we have taken the blinkers off her. She has drawn well and has performed well in stronger races.
I have a high opinion of our colt Exhibition in the second last race, the 1400 metre Benchmark 64 Handicap. He is a last start Randwick winner in June, and he has had a couple of quiet trials since. We have been tossing up whether to run Exhibition from the wide barrier, but if he does run, he will be hard to beat with a little luck from the barrier.
I give Express Princess a chance with the claim in the 1400 Metre Benchmark Handicap,” Freedman said.
Newcastle trainer Paul Perry has a couple of promising young stayers in his stable and one of them, Olympic Gaze, will contest the 1885 Metre Maiden Plate. This is the three-year-old’s fourth race start and he put the writing on the wall with a fast finishing second over 1600 metres at Gosford in his last outing on August 11.
Country apprentice Tyler Schiller, on loan to Mark Newnham, will claim three kilograms and Olympic Gaze will carry the seemingly luxurious weight of 52½ kilograms. Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan and his foreman Sterling Alexiou are the latest to form a training partnership and the latter could be off to a flying start when Zell contests the 1250 metre Benchmark 68 Handicap. The son of champion sire I Am Invincible has been runner up in both starts this prep at Newcastle and Kembla. He is an on-pacer and is fitter now.
Champion trainer Chris Waller will send six horses to Newcastle on Saturday. Canadian Spice, Seleque, You Too and Mo’Unga will all be well fancied. Canadian Spice, a three-year-old filly, was placed in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery at Randwick in December and was never on the track when a close fourth at Newcastle on August 8. The filly runs in a 1250 metre Maiden on Saturday. Seleque is on debut after a nice trial at Warwick Farm and she has the rails barrier in the 1250 metre Maiden Handicap. You Too is a runner in the 1400 metre Benchmark 64 Handicap on Saturday and she is ready after two recent starts. Last prep she won a Hawkesbury Maiden and was a close third on the Kensington track.
Mo’Unga is a Kiwi bred colt which won his only start on the Gold Coast in June. He has accepted for the1400 metre Benchmark 64 Handicap.
Kris Lees only has three starters at Newcastle and all three should run well. The three include Shootingforthesatar (Race1) Wild Sheila (race2) and Hard Lady (race 7).