Gary Harley – Herald – Friday 19.09.25
The time-honoured Newcastle Jockey Club’s two-day Spring Carnival will be held on Friday and Saturday and with 121 acceptances and three Group 3 events on Friday it is a massive day. Australia’s two champion trainers Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller will saddle up six of the seven acceptors including two of the favourites Travolta and Royal Supremacy in the $300,000 Group 3 Sharp Office Newcastle Gold Cup. The latter trained by Maher is raced by the Hunter based Australian Bloodstock who are aiming for two Group winners in the space of six days.
The syndicator’s recent costly acquisition and reigning Melbourne Cup favourite Al Riffa won the Group 1 Irish St Leger by four lengths last weekend and their Newcastle Cup entrant Royal Supremacy has won his past two starts. An Irish import Royal Supremacy has only had four Australian starts and the 5-year-old stormed home to win an 1800 metre Randwick Benchmark 88 on July 12. Last start he won the Wyong Cup Prelude over 2000 metres on a heavy track on August 17. Royal Supremacy cruised to the line without pressure in a recent trial behind Gringotts, Jason Collett rides the gelding.
Waller has trained six of the last ten Newcastle Cup winners and Travolta and Soul of Spain have the best credentials of his team in the Cup. Travolta, to be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy is in great form with two wins and two seconds from his past four starts. He gave away a huge start when beaten less than a length by Changingoftheguard at Randwick on September 6. Soul Of Spain is an emerging stayer winning his last three starts, two in Queensland and the other at Warwick Farm. Zac Lloyd has the mount. The Murwillumbah trained Belvedere Boys has a chance.
The 1500 metre Localsearch “Big Dance Eligibility” Cameron Handicap has attracted a quality field. The Hawkes stables talented 4-year-old Swiftfalcon is very well placed after close Group 1 thirds, behind Linebacker (Randwick Guineas) and Broadsiding (Rosehill Guineas) in the Autumn. First up in the Randwick Group 2 Tramway on September 6 Swiftfalcon was badly held up in the straight before finishing strong to finish 3 lengths from Pericles. The gelding has a good second-up record and regular jockey Tyler Schiller will be aboard. He is desperate for a long straight and he certainly has that on Friday.
Kris Lees’ Tavi Time, winner of the 2025 Scone Cup resumes after two trials and has a terrific fresh record. The gelding has had two recent quiet trials and Jay Ford who rode him to victory in the Scone Cup has the mount. McHale and Fully Lit should run well.
The remaining Group 3 is the $250,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Tibbie Stakes a 1400 metre event for the fillies and mares. This is a wide-open race but Rachel King’s mare Oh Diamond Lil has the ultra-consistent record with six wins, two on the trot at Randwick in July before a short break and the 5 year old was an easy Rosehill trial winner recently.
Dark Glitters’ last effort in the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes behind Manaal was outstanding, and Nathan Doyle’s Overriding cannot be overlooked.
Michael Freedman has a nice Frankel filly called Magenta Skies heading to Newcastle and she will be hard to beat in the 1400 metre Tooheys Maiden Handicap (1400m).