Gary Harley
Four-year-old Taree trained mare Whoopi Do stunned punters when she won the 1300 metre Equimillion Long Weekend Super Maiden Plate at Saturdays Newcastle Jockey Club race meeting. The Tony Ball trained galloper with Newcastle leading jockey Aaron Bullock in the saddle went to the barriers at odds of $101. Drawn as an emergency Whoopi Do (a start after scratchings) and after being quickly from the rails barrier the mare drifted to midfield until the top of the straight. With the majority of the jockeys electing to take their mounts to the centre of the track in the straight Bullock drove Whoopi Do up the inside and she snatched the lead in the closing stages to win by a neck. Ball who was foreman for the for the powerful Godolphin stable in Sydney for many years also trained the third placegetter Dynamic Diva in the race. Her starting price was $151.
Whoopi Do was formally trained by Rob Potter in Canberra and she was placed in four starts. She had two unplaced starts for Ball prior to Saturday. Bullock, who rode 125 winners last season despite months on the sideline due to injury, has already ridden 30 winners this season in two months and three days. He rode two winners on Saturday Whoopi Do and the promising Kris Lees trained Beneath The Rock a three-length winner of the 1200 metre NZB Benchmark 64 Handicap. The mare was resuming from a spell, but she was very impressive in an easy Warwick Farm win in her previous start in June.
Nathan Doyle, another Newcastle trainer who has had a good start to the current season, saddled up two winners at Newcastle on Saturday. Emalyn a well-supported $3.10 second favourite, was successful in the 900-metre TAB Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap while $26 chance Caltsar was successful in the 1300 metre The Prince Of Merewether Benchmark 68 Handicap. Doyle has trained 14 winners in the current season.
Randwick trainer Michael Freedman, a good supporter of Newcastle racing, was off to a flying start on Saturday with a double in the first two races. He started the day with the New Zealand bred 3-year-old colt Last Affair a son of deceased Coolmore Stud sire Wootten Bassett. The colt sold to Tom Magnier, Michael Freedman and Mick Wallace for $725,000 at a New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale disappointed when unplaced on debut at the Illawarra Grange track on September 17. On Saturday Last affair raced to the speed in the 1500 metre Cheer On The Newcastle Knights Maiden Handicap and he won by 1.16 lengths. In the following race Wallace Station made it two wins from two starts at Newcastle when the colt led all the way to win the 1500 metre Klosters Class 1 Handicap by 1.44 lengths. Rory Hutchings rode the Freedman pair.