FORSTER “KICKING UP” FOR A NEWCASTLE FEATURE BREAKTHROUGH
NOVEMBER 9, 2026: BRISBANE trainer Desleigh Forster is making another Newcastle foray for The Hunter meeting – this time aiming at the Spring Stakes.
Forster has confirmed plans to start promising youngster Kickup Rocky in Saturday’s $250,000 Group 3 1600m feature for three-year-olds.
Former Melbourne jockey Daniel Moor, now based in Brisbane, also will be at Newcastle to ride the gelding.
Eagle Farm-based Forster is no stranger to Broadmeadow, having firstly started Too Good To Refuse when fourth to Happy Clapper in the 2017 Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m).
“I took a team of three horses to Sydney that autumn, and Corey Brown rode him at Newcastle,” Forster said this morning.
“He had run in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick – won by leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees’ Le Romain – on a very heavy track before the Newcastle race.
“And I went back to Newcastle for one of the early running’s of the $1m The Hunter (1300m) in 2022.
“Apache Chase, who won the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm earlier that year, ran fourth to Vilana.”
Unfortunately, that was to be his last race after he sustained a sesamoid injury during a track gallop at Eagle Farm the following month.
Kickup Rocky is a three-quarter brother to Apache Chase and has won three of his eight starts.
Forster thought enough of the son of Better Than Ready to start him in both the Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) at Eagle Farm during the winter carnival as a two-year-old.
He ran fourth to Berzelius in the sires and then struck a heavy track when ninth to Tron Bolt in the Atkins.
A $130,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase at the Gold Coast early last year, Kickup Rocky has come back in brilliant form as a three-year-old, winning both his Brisbane starts against his own age, with big weights.
He carried 60kg when successful over 1300m at Eagle Farm on October 10, and then 60.5kg over 1350m at Doomben three weeks later.
“Daniel (Moor) has ridden Kickup Rocky at his last six starts, and is keen to stick with him at Newcastle,” Forster said.
“There is a 1600m race for three-year-olds at Doomben on Saturday, but he would get too much weight (the Spring Stakes is run at set weights, with colts and geldings carrying 56.5kg).
“Being a Magic Millions horse, Kickup Rocky is eligible for the $3m MM Guineas (1400m) for three-year-olds at the Gold Coast in January, so Newcastle fits in nicely en route to that,
“It’s not a long trip these days, and we will take him down on Thursday.”
With only 10 three-year-olds nominated, entries for the Spring Stakes have been extended until 11am tomorrow (Tuesday).
Hawkesbury trainer Jack Pilkington’s I Am Dreaming and recent debut Hawkesbury winner El Pablo (now trained at Gosford by Adam Duggan), are the provincial nominations.
Entries for the Listed The Beauford (2300m), Max Lees Classic (900m) and Trans-Tasman Trophy Benchmark 88 Handicap (1850m) have also been extended until 11am tomorrow.
PROVINCIAL RACING NSW