Newcastle trainer Mark Minervini’s short course double at Saturday’s Newcastle Racecourse meeting rounded off a successful week for the popular trainer. The former South Australian who proudly calls Newcastle home these days saddled up Ocean Joy and Shall Be for impressive wins after the pair’s stablemate Kings Duty was an easy winner at Wyong the previous Sunday.
Minervini narrowly missed a treble at Newcastle on Saturday when his mare Rubi’s Serve went down by a neck in a Benchmark 68 1400 metre event. On Saturday the Minervini stable kicked off the day with the speedy filly Ocean Joy in the opening event the 900 metre Girls Day Out- Women In Sport Maiden Plate. It was a very classy Provincial Maiden and Ocean Joy with Lee Magorian aboard went to the barrier as a $5.50 chance. The filly had a tough run first up when unplaced at Newcastle on January 25 after being trapped three wide from a wide barrier.
On Saturday Ocean Joy started from the coveted rails barrier, she enjoyed a lovely trail, third on the rail until the 200-metre mark where Magorian steered her around the leader Barracuda. Ocean Joy held off the fast finishing and luckless Blanc De Noir to win by a head. Later in the day Minervini’s 3-year-old Shall Be won his third race in five starts in the 900 meter Matthew Chisholm’s Birthday Benchmark 64 Handicap. All three wins have been at Newcastle.
Orange apprentice William Stanley on loan to Kris Lees, rode Shall Be which was second up after an easy first up win at Newcastle on January 10. Stanley’s ride was a gem as he bounced the horse first from the barrier then elected to sit third with a nice trail. He challenged the leaders from the top of the straight and he was strong late to win by close to half a length from the well fancied Paul Perry pair Zoe Shark and Curl Curl. It was Stanley’s second win on the Newcastle course proper and his 89th winner since his first ride at Bedgerabong previous in February 2021. For Minervini it was win number 484 since he joined the trainers ranks in 1991. He has trained 26 winners at Newcastle, three of which were on the Beaumont track.
Former North Coast apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald, now with the powerful Neasham- Archibald stable, took her seasons tally to 61.5 in only six months of the season when successful on $2.20 favourite Omnic in the 1500 metre Montgomery Homes Super Maiden.
Australia’s winningest trainer Ciaron Maher pulled the right reign when he scratched Omnic from the Canterbury meeting the previous night. Fitzgerald took Omnic to the front when the gates opened, and he was never headed although tiring late to hang on and win by a long head.
Visiting Irish jockey Ronan Whelan based in Sydney rode his third Newcastle winner in eleven days when he piloted Calyx Rose to victory in the 1500 metre Brian Sheeley Memorial Class 1 Handicap. A last start Cowra winner the filly led all the way to win by over a length. Whelan rode a Newcastle winner on January 21 and 25 prior to Saturday.
Lee Magorian was the leading jockey on the day with two winners- Ocean Joy and My Phar Lady.
The Newcastle Jockey Club next meeting is on the Beaumont track on Monday February 10.