Ultra consistent Newcastle mare Decadent Tale made light of her adverse barrier when she led from the 1200m to take out the Prince Of Merewether Mile (1600m) at the Newcastle race meeting on Saturday. The race was the most open seen at Newcastle in a long time with Wealthofknowledge the $6 favourite. Decadent Tale had support and was the $7.50 second favourite at barrier rise.
Trainer Jason Deamer told Sky Racing prior to the race that jockey Christian Reith told him there was not a lot of speed in the race, and the Group 1 winning jockey was confident his mare could overcome barrier 18. It was a well-judged ride from Reith as he allowed the five-year-old to cross to the lead 1200m from home, and she was always in control. With no pressure from her opponents Decadent Tale was allowed to dictate, and her winning margin was 1.88 lengths. The mare has now won $136,000 on the track from nineteen starts, with five wins and eleven placings.
Aaron Bullock took the riding honours for the day with a double, and in doing so increased his lead over James McDonald in the New South Wales Jockeys Premiership. Bullock has ridden 109 ½ winners, 10 ½ clear of McDonald. Bullock was aboard the Greg Hickman trained colt Capital Mac, which overcame a slow start to win the Horsepower Maiden Plate (1200m) by a nose. After being second last to leave the barrier, the three-year-old over raced early in the race before Bullock steered him to the outside of the track in the straight. After reaching the lead Capital Mac held on for the narrowest of wins.
Arrowfield filly Smokin’ Crazy was the second of Bullock’s double when she resumed from an eight-month spell for an impressive win in the Hungerford Hill Maiden Plate (1200m). The three-year-old with a Japanese pedigree was unplaced in her only start at Newcastle in August, however she had won a recent Beaumont barrier trial. The winner enjoyed the run of the race behind the leaders, and she ran down runner-up Choice Legend in the closing stages.
Newcastle trained Poseidon Ruler benefitted from a huge drop in class to produce the run of the day to bolt in with the TAB Venue Mode Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m). With 60.5kg, Louise Day settled Poseidon Ruler at the tail of the field, and he was still last in the field of twelve with 300m to run. The five-year-old unleashed soon after and he stormed home to win by 2 ¼ lengths.
Paul Perry’s Nosey Parker atoned for an unlucky last start defeat when he came from last to win the Klosters Motor Group Class 1 Handicap (1200m). He laid in badly under pressure in the closing stages when narrowly beaten at Newcastle last start. Not so on Saturday, when he put the opposition away to win by just under a length.