Gary Harley –Herald
The Newcastle Jockey Club will host the Maitland Rugby Club Raceday at the Newcastle racecourse on Saturday. Followers of Newcastle’s leading jockey Aaron Bullock could be in for a profitable day as the local boy has been booked for three early favourites and other well fancied gallopers during the day.
Bullock has the mount on the Cessnock trained Unreachable (TAB $5.00) in the 1500 metre Benchmark 68 Handicap and her recent form indicates the mare will be hard to beat, the Jeremy Slyvester trained 7-year-old races well at Newcastle where she stormed home from the tail of the field to go down by a head in the Jungle Juice Cup on October 17. Two starts back Unreachable was beaten less than a length in the Denman Cup at Muswellbrook on October 5.
Bullock rides the Richard and Will Freedman trained filly Shahaameh (TAB $1.95) in the opening event the Hunter Land Management F&M Maiden Handicap and she will appreciate the drop-in class. Both the fillies starts have been in metropolitan midweek maidens.
At Warwick Farm on September 23 the 3-year-old had a charmed run in fourth place before joining the leaders 200 metres from the finish she wound up in third place behind the promising Chuchichaschlii. Last start at Rosehill the filly was last to leave the barriers and made ground to finish 2.2 lengths from the winner in a $100,000 Super Maiden. Bullocks’ mount in race 3 On The Mic 1900 metre Benchmark 64 Handicap these days in the stable of the inform Newcastle Cup winning trainer Matthew Smith has to lump 62 kilograms however she is a class above the others on her record. She has good Newcastle form and drops sharply in class and is the $1.95 favourite with TAB.
The Edward Cummings trained Doralee in the Hunt Hospitality Super Maiden Plate 900 metres can atone for an unlucky defeat at Newcastle first up on October 17. Doralee has been placed in six of her ten starts and after winning a “Jumpout” at Flemington on October 2 she resumed from a spell in a Newcastle 900-meter Maiden. Aaron Bullock rode the 6-year-old and after jumping quickly from the outside barrier she was forced to race very wide on the outside of the other gallopers. Doralee received a bump on the home turn but kept running on to finish three quarters of a length from the winner.
Bullock retains the mount on Saturday, and the 2 barrier is ideal. Doralee is second favourite with TAB at $3.60.
The next Newcastle Race Day is The $1Million Newcastle Herald Hunter on Saturday 14 November. There are still some spots left on The Hunter Lawn Package right near the parade ring and finishing line. General admission tickets are still available, and all tickets include the Hot Dub Time Machine playing after the last in the Betting Ring.