Gary Harley
The Newcastle track received praise from trainers and jockeys during Tuesday’s race meeting after stewards upgraded the track from a Heavy 8 to a Soft 7 after Race 1. The track received 27 millimetres of rain the previous day and night and 86 millimeters for the week. Wayne Hawkes who trains in partnership with his Australian Hall Of Famer father John and brother Michael, was full of praise for the tracks recovery rate in an interview with Gavin Carmody on Sky Thoroughbred Central.
Apprentice jockeys Emma Ly, Mollie Fitzgerald and Coriah Keatings each rode a winner while Zac Lloyd despite the scratchings of two of his six mounts rode two winners at the meeting. Victorian bred Ly was successful in the opening event the Dailey Family Funerals Midway Class 1 Handicap aboard the Blake Ryan trained Silk Lace which led throughout. The winner won first up for the combination at Newcastle on April 23 and was equal favourite with former Victorian, Close To Midnight as the horses were loaded in the barriers however, Close To Midnight was a late scratching after getting his near foreleg cast int eh barriers.
It was Emma Ly’s 42nd winner after giving up a nursing career to become apprenticed to the Waterhouse Bott stable. In May 2024 she suffered serious injuries after colliding with a riderless horse in trackwork. These days Ly is based at Hawkesbury with Blake Ryan.
Former Taree apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald these days is apprenticed to Annabel and Rob Archibald is enjoying another successful season and on Tuesday she produced a gem of a ride to steer Newcastle trained Hidden Star to victory in the 1300 metre A-Plus Contracting & Poly Welding Provincial Maiden Handicap. The Mark Minervini trained filly was heavily backed following a fast-finishing narrow defeat at Wyong on May 7.
There were 19 acceptors for the race and Hidden Star drew the extreme outside barrier. However, with eight scratchings she started from barrier 11. Fitzgerald, after the filly was slowly away put her in a nice spot one off the rail before circling the leading group at the top of the straight and sprinting away to win by 1.89 lengths. Fitzgerald, the daughter of former successful jockey Malcom Fitzgerald has ridden 194 winners in less than three years.
Minervini was interviewed by Gavin Carmody following the race “She put the writing on the wall last start, but I was going to scratch her because of the barrier however, when the rain came, I decided to run her. I thought the filly may have been closer in the run but it was a great ride” Minervini said.
Coriah Keatings and trainer Matthew Keeley made the long trip form Canberra to win the 1600 metre Hungerford Hill Wine Country Cup Benchmark 68 Handicap with the New Zealand bred 4-year-old Deepwater Artist. The victory was the geldings fourth with three seconds from ten starts. Keatings went forward on the winner from his wide barrier, and he raced in second place after 200 metres. He dashed in clear halfway down the straight and had no difficulty in holding off the challengers.
Lloyds two winners were for Australia’s leading trainers Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller. The young man had an armchair ride on Mahers $1.40 favourite Decalogue a 4.4 length winner of the 1850-meter Davali Thoroughbreds Maiden Plate. While he put Wallers mare Rach on the speed in the 1400 metre Sharp Office Benchmark 64 Handicap and she won convincingly.