Rachel King only has one mount at the Newcastle Jockey Club’s race meeting on The Beaumont track on Monday and a recent barrier trial indicates the trip up the M1 won’t be in vain. King has been booked for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrain Bott trained mare Love And Light in the 1150 metre Dailey Family Funerals Maiden Plate. The lightly raced 4-year-old has had a stop/ start career of five starts for three placings. In July 2023 the mare had two starts for two seconds at Wyong and Warwick Farm. In the latter she finished in front of Stefi Magnetica. Her second prep resulted in the one start at Warwick Farm. The daughter of Capitalist has trialled twice recently and at Randwick on March 10 with King aboard she won a trial by a big space under little pressure and the mare has genuine speed.
Armidale trainer Stirling Osland doesn’t venture to Newcastle very often, but he will travel down with Suit Day a consistent stayer which runs in the opening event the 2100 metre Davali Yearlings @ Easter Benchmark 58 Handicap. Suit Day clashed with inform stable mate, So You Are at Scone on March 4 and after looming at the top of the straight was beaten 1.24 lengths. So You Are was beaten a head at Wyong’s Metropolitan meeting on Wednesday. Suit Day has a win and three placings from his past five starts and Ash Morgan has the mount for the first time.
Former star Newcastle apprentice Dylan Gibbons returns to race riding after 4.5 months off following surgery. He has five mounts at Monday’s meeting with dual acceptor Naughty Nurse one of his better mounts. Kris Lees has accepted with the filly in the final two events the 1200 metre A-Plus Contracting & Poly Welding Class 1 Handicap and the 1300 metre The Adviser Collective Benchmark 58 Handicap. The 3-year-old went to the paddock after a Port Macquarie maiden win in October. She hasn’t raced since but she has had two recent barrier trials winning the last at Scone hard held.
Scone trainer Scott Singleton and his talented apprentice Mitch Stapleford both enjoying successful seasons with 24 and 33 winners respectively combine with in form Kimberley Moon in the 1150-metre TAB App Country Boosted Benchmark 66 Handicap. The mare has won three of her past five starts including a Beaumont track victory on February 10. She was hampered at the start when beaten four lengths at Canterbury on February 21. The Scone pair also combine with Spenzalot in the 1350 metre Hungerford Hill Wines Country Boosted maiden handicap. The 3-year-old was narrowly beaten on debut at Tamworth on March 9 and he had been trialling well prior to that run.