Under blue sky’s another huge crowd flocked to the Newcastle Racecourse on Saturday for the second day of the Newcastle Jockey Club’s Spring Carnival. It was the traditional Charlestown Square Ladies Day with world powerhouse Godolphin’s trainer James Cummings landing a double, a feat also accomplished on the day by Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle and Sydney jockeys Jean Van Overmeire and Andrew Adkins.
Cummings and Van Overmeire combined to win the feature race the Charlestown Square Ladie Day Cup (1300m) with the lightly raced 4-year-old mare Rip Off. The daughter of Godolphin’s sire Ribchester made it two wins and two close seconds from four starts this preparation.
On Saturday ‘JVO’ settled Rip Off in third place six lengths off tearaway leader Zoe Shark and when called on at the top of the straight the 4-year-old cruised up to the leaders and she went to the line to win by .86 of a length under hands and heels riding. Overmeire’s other winner for Cummings was aboard Creek in the 1250 metre Insight Building Services Super Maiden Plate. The gelding was first up after a quiet Randwick trial and he was placed at Wyong, Pakenham and Sandown in the Autumn before a spell. On Saturday Creek was slow away and settled a distant second last however, he wore down favorite Marais to win by 1.18 lengths.
Jean van Overmeire won two races at Canberra on Friday and backed up with two winners and two seconds at Newcastle on Saturday. He rode 104 winners last season and has already ridden 22 winners in seven weeks in the 2024-25 season. Last season’s NSW Jockeys Premiership winner Ash Morgan is back from a month’s holiday in Europe, and he was aboard the first of Nathan Doyle’s double Rush Attack in the 1600 metre Hall & Wilcox Law Benchmark 64 Handicap. The 4-year-old joined the Doyle stable in July and from four starts for his new trainer Rush Attack has now had wins at Kempsey and Newcastle and very close seconds at Wyong and Newcastle.
On Saturday Morgan gave the winner a perfect sit behind the two leaders and he hit the front inside the ‘200’ and held off the challengers to win by a head. Doyle saddled up the heavily backed favorite Reigning King in the 900-meter New Zealand Bloodstock Benchmark 64 Handicap with boom Scone apprentice Braith Nock claiming 3 kilograms. After beginning quickly from the outside barrier, the son of Snitzel crossed and led and was never headed scoring by half a length. Doyle has had a successful start in the current season with 11 winners in 7 weeks, the most by any Newcastle based trainer on New South Wales tracks.
Rosehill trainers Richard and Will Freedman produced a nice Zoustar filly called Zoubaby, a first up runner in the 900 metre Dailey Family Funerals/Minervini Racing Maiden Plate. Andrew Adkins rode the filly which proved to be a class above her opposition, winning by .75 lengths unextended. Adkins’ other winner was Princess Cruizer for Paul Perry in the final event the 1250 metre HBT Group Benchmark 64 Handicap.