Classy 3-year-old filly Savvy Hallie is set to contest the prestigious Princess Series at Randwick following her effortless 5.48 length win in the 900 metre Newcastle Master Builders Apprentices Super Maiden Plate on Thursday at Newcastle Racecourse. In her first start since placings in the Group 2 Percy Skyes and Group 3 Baillieu during the Autumn Savvy Hallie was the $1.65 favourite and after flying outside the leader Charlina until halfway down the straight, she accelerated quickly and under little pressure the daughter of Hellbent streaked away and revelled in the Heavy 9 conditions.
Savvy Hallie wasn’t far away from Australia’s best two-year-olds in the Autumn and the Spring beckons. The Princess Series is for 3-year-old fillies and is a four Group race series comprising the 1200 metre Silver Shadow, 1200 metre Furious, 1400 metre Tea Rose and 1600 metre Flight. Only two fillies in the race’s history have gone through the series undefeated and both were trained at Newcastle. They were Kris Lees trained Samantha Miss in 2008 and Noel Mayfield- Smiths Angst in 1993.
Despite the drenching the Newcastle track received in recent weeks the track played magnificently despite the heavy 9 rating. Trainer Michael Hawkes and profile owner Mark Wagh gave the track a huge rap on Sky Thoroughbred Central.
Local boy Dylan Gibbons returned home to steer the Hawkes stables Frontex to an easy win in the 1250 metre All Steel Sheds Benchmark 64 Handicap. Backed from $2.40 into $2.10 the lightly raced 5-year-old settled third last spot in the small field. Gibbons drove Frontex to the lead inside the 200 metres and he won convincingly by 1.27 lengths. The gelding has only had four starts for two wins and two placings and is undefeated in two Newcastle starts.
Waugh who is currently in the commentary team for the Australia-South Africa T20 cricket series in Darwin was at Newcastle alongside wife Kim to cheer home the stables mare Mizella. The latter puts in her best performances at Newcastle, and the mare was a well backed $2.90 in the final event the Buildcert Benchmark 64 Handicap. In form jockey Ash Morgan who rode three winners at the meeting allowed Mizella to drift back to last and she sprinted quickly in the straight to win by 1.44 lengths. The daughter of boom sire Too Darm Hot has three wins and two placings from six starts at Newcastle.
Jason Deamer was the only Newcastle trainer with a winner at the meeting when the ultra-consistent Dollars broke through for his first win for the stable in the 1600 metre Surescope Certifiers Midway Maiden Handicap. Formerly trained by Ciaron Maher, Dollars had finished a close second in his two previous starts at Newcastle for Deamer. After leading early in the race Morgan took hold and settled Dollars in third place and despite racing greenly in the straight, he was too classy. He was the shortest priced favourite of the day at $1.35.
The next race meeting at Newcastle is the Stars Of Newcastle Race Day Supporting the Cancer Council on Saturday August 23. During the Tuesday race meeting on August 26 the NJC will host the Newcastle & Hunter Racing Hall Of Fame Gala Luncheon. There will be eight inductees in the Racing Hall Of Fame on the day.