The Newcastle Jockey Club hosted one of its most successful Saturday race meetings at the weekend. It was the Dungog Cup race day which featured a seven-race program highlighted by a cracking line up in the 1400 metre Polytrack Provincial Midway Championship Qualifier. The icing on the cake was the Invades concert with a crowd of around 6000 going through the turnstiles.
On the racetrack the Provincial Midway Qualifier lived up to expectations with a thrilling battle in the last 100 metres between three talented gallopers. Kembla trainer Paul Murray’s mare Welcometobardados ($7) was first past the post a nose in front of Kris Lees Lord Of Biscay ($4.20) with Sara Ryan’s Matcha Latte ($2.70) a nose away in third place. The winner has built up an impressive record winning five of her past six starts and she was very impressive in coming from the tail of the field to win running away in her first Newcastle start two weeks earlier.
On Saturday, outsider Apache Breeze settled down in front with Matcha Latte on his outside. Lord Of Biscay was trapped three wide with no cover from his wide barrier and Welcometobardados had a nice trail better than midfield one off the rail. Matcha Latte kicked away halfway down the straight and looked to be the winner but the gutsy Lord Of Biscay and then Welcometobarbados joined in for a titanic battle to the line.
Opinions were divided as to which of the two had its nose in front on the line. Jean Van Overmier rode the winner and Murray, son of the legendary late South Coast trainer Bede Murray, was so proud of the mare. “This mare gets better every time she goes to the races and that was a very strong field today. Every start I raise the bar she performs and wins. The owners only paid $700 for her online and she didn’t race in her two-year-old days. Welcometobardados will probably have a trial and maybe a gallop between races at Kembla in the lead up to the final” Murray said.
Murray has twenty horses in work at Kembla and his father Bede who passed away in 2012 was a regular at the Newcastle Group Carnivals. He trained the 2000 Newcastle 3YO Spring Stakes winner Universal Prince which then won the AJC Derby and Spring Champion stakes. Bede won the first Provincial Championship Final with Sure And Fast in 2015.
Lord Of Biscay which has also qualified for the Big Dance courtesy of his Ballina Cup win was tough and he now heads to the Provincial Midway Championship Final on April 12 in good form. Lees has trained five of the ten Provincial Midway Championship Final winners.
Matcha Latte first up after a close second in September’s Cameron Handicap, will now attempt to qualify for The Provincial Midway Final via another qualifier or the Wild Card.
Leading Victorian training partnership Anthony and Sam Freedman trained their first Newcastle winner when speedy 2-year-old Mednyi won the 900 metre Lovey’s Grocers IGA Super Maiden Plate. The colt is very quick, and he sat on the rail inside the leader until the top of the straight where he railed up and dashed clear. Talented jockey Braith Nock rode the winner.
Local trainers Jason Deamer and Kris Lees were successful with Think We’re There and Power Of The Brave respectively. Lees apprentice William Stanley rode Power Of The brace.
The ride of the day goes to Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald aboard Anarita in the 1300 metre Settlers Arm Dungog Cup. She took the filly back to last where she stayed until the home turn and the apprentice wound her up in the straight and the filly stormed home. Anarita is raced by form analysis Lizzie Jelfs and the ownership group includes NJC Sponsor Ian Burford and former NJC director Murray McKeough.