Tim Clark won his sixth Group 3 race on the Newcastle track when he steered former Japanese stayer Hush Writer to victory in Friday’s $200,000 Sharp Electronics Group Newcastle Cup. It was the first day of the Newcastle Jockey Club’s 2019 Spring Carnival and the meeting was held before a big crowd in ideal conditions.
Clark and Gai Waterhouse combined to win the 2017 Newcastle Cup with Broadside but Waterhouse has trained a number of winners of the race. Adrian Bott is now Waterhouses’ co-trainer. It was a peach of a ride on Friday as Clark positioned Hush Writer in the box seat and the recent Wyong Cup runner up outstayed the Kris Lees trained pair Attention Run and Our Candidate.
Broadside went on to run fifth in the Metropolitan at Randwick after the Newcastle Cup win and Hush Writer is following the same path. Clark spoke after the Cup “Broadside was a good tough stayer, but he didn’t have the class of Hush Writer. The drier tracks suit this bloke and he loves racing in Sydney. The Japanese horses prefer harder ground”. Bott said Hush Writer would be the stables representative in the Metropolitan in which she firmed from $26 to $15 after the Newcastle win.
It was déjà vu for Randwick trainer John Thompson when his classy mare Sweet Deal won the Group 3 Yarraman Park Tibbie Stakes (1400m). Sweet Deal with Nash Rawiller aboard staved off the challengers in the closing stages to win the race he won aboard Zanbagh two years ago. “She is going super and she has a fantastic rapport with Nash” Thompson said. The trainer had a great mentor as he was foreman for the late great Bart Cummings for many years.
Hall Of Famer John Hawkes has won a number of Group races at Newcastle since he moved from Adelaide to Sydney many years back. Training in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne their cracking sprinter Rock unwound a tremendous turn of foot to come from last to win the Group 3 Australian Bloodstock Cameron Handicap.
Rock has had eight starts for four wins and three seconds. Tommy Berry rode Rock and he could not hide his excitement after the race. “That was a massive win. I had to take him back further than I wanted but credit to Rock, he had the toughest run but was the best horse.
This is a phenomenal track. 70mm of rain and we are on a Good 4, full credit to the NJC” Berry said.