The annual Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service race meeting was held on the Newcastle Jockey Clubs Beaumont track on Saturday and while leading provincial jockeys Mitchell Bell and Keagan Latham took the riding honours with a treble and double respectively. Newcastle based Shannon Llewellyn rode her 99th career winner, Llewellyn formerly apprenticed to Jane Clement at Bendemeer joined the Nathan Doyle stable in June after a successful first sixteen months int eh saddle.
On Saturday Llewellyn was aborad $3.20 favourite in the 1350 metre Liz Eagleton Memorial Benchmark 68 Handicap. After beginning quickly Aroha Stone settled in second place until approaching the last 250 metres where she dashed clear to win by 1.83 lengths. Doyle is a part owner of the mare which was first up from a spell. Llewellyn has ridden Aroha Stone in two of her three victories. She began riding in February 2024 and rode 59 winners in her first full season of riding in the 2024-25 season. Saturdays win was the young lady’s eleventh this season and her first on the Beaumont track.
Apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald backed up from a winning double the previous day at Canberra to score the easiest win of the day on the Edward Cummings trained mare Shadashi in the opening event the 2100 metre Hobson 90 years Legacy Class 1 & Maiden Plate. Fitzgerald eased Shadashi back to last from the outset in the small field and after being ten lengths off the lead at one stage Shadashi cruised away in the closing stages to win easily by 6.5 lengths. Fitzgerald a rising star in the jockeys ranks with 172 winners since commencing her career at Taree in August 2023 is these days indentured to Annabel and Rob Archibald at Warwick Farm, the daughter of successful jockey Malcolm Fitzgerald is currently in the top ten of the NSW Jockeys Premierships with 35 winners this season.
Trainers John O’Shae and Tom Charlton combined with Keagan Latham to salute with two odds on favourites. The first of the pair was the previously unraced filly Chix in the 1250 metre Newcastle City Kia Super Maiden Handicap. The 3-year-old had impressed on a number of trials and was backed form $1.85 into $1.55. Latham positioned the filly outside the leader, and she gained the upper hand late to win by half a length under hand and heels riding. Latham had an armchair ride on the O’Shae – Charlton trained $1.75 favourite True Amour in the 1200 metre Cube Voice & Data Benchmark 64 Handicap. The 4-year-old led throughout to win by just under 5 lengths.
Micthell Bells treble included odds on favourites Federal Reserve $1.45 in the 1350 metre Newsure Insurance Brokers Maiden Plate and Ahellbenda $1.70 in the 1350 metre Newcastle Stevedores Midway Class 1 Handicap.
Six of seven races were won by favourites with Bell avoiding a clean sweep by the ‘shorties’ by steering the Archibald’s stables $10 chance Shady Road to victory in the 1150 metre All Metal Maiden Plate.