Local trainer Nathan Doyle entered the top ten in the New South Wales Trainers Premiership for the current season when four-year-old mare Salisano made it four wins from five starts, and two from two for him at Tuesdays Newcastle Jockey Club race meeting. Doyle, the rising star in the Newcastle training ranks has trained 73 winners on New South Wales tracks in the past twelve months and nineteen already this season. He is equal seventh alongside Kris Lees in the current season.
Doyle is Salisano’s third career trainer as she kicked off the career with Mark Newnham, and when he headed to Hong Kong earlier this year the mare was sent to Bjorn Baker. She was a $51 chance when she led all the way on September 30, and on Tuesday the mare was backed from $6.50 into $4.20 in the New Zealand Bloodstock Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m). Salisano sat third behind tearaway leader Lancaster Bomber and she had an uninterrupted passage along the rail before dashing past Lancaster Bomber late.
Two three-year-olds that were high-priced yearlings were successful in Maiden events on Tuesday. The Waterhouse-Bott colt Invincible Spy, a $650,000 yearling debuted in the Living Turf Maiden Handicap (1400m). The son of I Am Invincible who was ridden by Tim Clark led throughout, and he staved off the late challenge of runner up Kenology.
John O’Shea’s $750,000 yearling Natural Deduction, a son of Arrowfields track star The Autumn Sun was very impressive in winning the Sharp Office Maiden Plate (1600m). Tommy Berry put the three-year-old on the speed trailing the leader in a strung-out field. He took the lead at the top of the straight and toughed it out when favourite Incessant looked certain to run him down. Incidentally the runner up was an $850,000 yearling.
The Freedman camp hinted that Koning, easy winner of the Allied The Careful Movers Class 1 & Maiden Plate (1850m) could have a crack at one of the Derby’s. Jason Collett took the colt to the front from the outset, and he ran the opposition off their legs. Koning is a son of Great Britain sire Kingman, and his dam is a Galileo mare, so he is bred to stay. Will Freedman, in an interview with Sky Racings Gavin Carmody said that the stable may have a crack at a Derby with Koning. The TAB has listed him as a $26 chance in the upcoming Victoria Derby.
The Everest winning trainer Jor Pride made an appearance at Newcastle to watch his New Zealand bred four-year-old Hokkaido win the final event, The Prince Of Merewether Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m). Given a classic ride by Kathy O’Hara midfield on the rail then into clear running on straightening, the winner was tough to the line to win convincingly. He was a Metropolitan winner early in his career and he wasn’t far away first up at Warwick Farm recently.
Randwick trainer Craig Carmody delivered a knockout blow to punters when his filly, Zoe, at odds of $31 beat favourite Alvina’s Luck in the Coastline Pool & Spa Maiden Handicap (1400m). The filly’s only two starts were in May when she was beaten 20 lengths and 15 lengths at Canterbury. It was a training triumph for Carmody as she was first up since May without trialing. Zoe raced outside the leader, took the lead in the straight and was too tough.