BJORN Baker’s stable representative Luke Hilton reckons Sandpaper “had to be tough today”. The five-year-old gelding’s jockey Tim Clark admits “he was there to be beaten today, but kept responding and finding that little bit extra”.
It was a lead-all-the-way victory in Friday’s group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400 metres), previously known as the Newmarket, with Sandpaper managing to hold off a fast-finishing Amenable by 0.2 lengths.
Sandpaper joined Baker from James Cummings at the end of last year and has been placed in all five starts since including a first-up win at Wyong on January 11.
“Held form right through [this preparation] and put the writing on the wall first up, been unlucky with gates but Tim took luck out of the equation today and controlled the race,” Baker told Racing NSW’s Thoroughbred Central straight after the $250,000 event.
“Extremely honest [horse] and had to be tough today. Back from the mile and Tim wanted to be positive. Work on Saturday was near his best and Bjorn was confident coming here that he’d go close.”
Clark got to the front early from barrier two and managed to keep Sandpaper’s rivals at bay, including Amenable, third-placed Grebeni and well-beaten favourite Makarena. “He [Sandpaper] was there to be beaten today, but he kept responding and finding a little bit extra for me,” he told Thoroughbred Central.
“I just wanted to use a bit of that fitness he had on his side to test a few of the better-class horses behind me very early in preparations.”
The Newcastle Stakes field for 2025 was reduced to eight runners after five scratchings, including local chances Kris Lees’ Hellavadancer and Nathan Doyle’s Wooloowin.
Clark enjoyed a winning double at the Newcastle meeting on Friday, earlier getting across the line with $34-shot Maybe Moet in the second.
Hawkesbury trainer Fabio Martino took out the opening event with Tokyo Queen in front of Doyle’s Literature Tycoon.
Back-to-back wins were recorded by the same combination across the third and fourth – Presley and Next Jen both ridden by Chad Schofield and prepared by Annabel Neasham-Rob Archibald.
Frontx collected the fifth for the visiting Hawkes stable while Inferencia saluted in the sixth for Newcastle trainer Rebecca Dunn. Elba rounded out the program by taking out the inaugural fillies and mares race named in honour of Samantha Miss.
Makarena favourite as Hawkes team eye fifth Newcastle Stakes
Gary Harley reports: Talented four-year-old mare Makarena is set to deliver the Hawkes stable with its fifth success in the time-honoured group 3 Newcastle Stakes on Friday. Previously known as the Newcastle Newmarket, it was first run in 1955 and it will be the first provincial group race in New South Wales this year.
John Hawkes has won the race with Deposition in 1993, Larry Cassidy-ridden Crawl in 2001 and Danzippo in 2007. James McDonald later steered Mecir to victory for John and his sons Michael and Wayne in 2014.
Makarena has outstanding credentials for this 1400-metre race and went up $3.30 with TAB fixed odds on Wednesday.
In the group two Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill on February 22, the mare was first up and she went forward to share the lead 900m out.
She got a little tired late but was tough finishing 1.56m from the winner Firestorm.
Makarena has won two from three second up and can handle soft or dry tracks.
Prior to a spell the four-year-old was beaten 1.3 lengths after a tough run in the state’s second richest race, the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 2.
Makarena beat Amelia’s Jewel in the group 2 Gold Pendent at Rosehill in September.
Sandpaper is up in class, but his recent form is very good and has the minimum weight of 54 kilograms. Tim Clark rides the six-year-old.
Nash Rawiller, who steered home 2021 winner Gem Song, makes the trip to ride the Richard and Will Freedman-trained Coastwatch having won the Listed Barton Stakes last start at Sandown on January 25.
The two-year-old Paul Perry Handicap (1300m) has been contested by talented youngsters in recent years.
Broadsiding finished third in the race last year while Just Party, Kintyre, Inhibitions and Wymark all won major races in the last two years.
Friday sees John O’Shea and Tom Charlton saddle up Napoleonic, a son of Wooton Bassett which was luckless on debut at Warwick Farm on February 19 when midfield behind King Of Pop.
The colt was slow to leave the barriers and travelled worse than midfield on the rail. He was looking for room in the straight and appeared to have plenty to offer if sufficiently clear.
Zac Lloyd will ride him from barrier one and the spacious Newcastle track is ideal.
Newcastle Jockey Club have decided to name the fillies and mares benchmark 68 handicap in honour of Samantha Miss.
Kris Lees trained Samantha Miss to win three group 1 titles and she’s a member of Newcastle and Hunter’s Hall Of Fame.
It is a wide-open race but Fastnet Rock mare Elba, from the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable, should run well.
Originally weighted at 62.5kg, the Victorians have booked Newcastle apprentice Ben Osmond who has a 2kg claim.
The mare has been out of form on very firm Victorian tracks but if the conditions are soft, look for a big improvement.
The sold-out International Women’s Day function, featuring four-time Para World Surfing Champion Sam Bloom, was held in the Trackside Marquee.
RACE RETURN NEARS ALMOST 150 DAYS AFTER FALL
Earlier by Josh Callinan: Dylan Gibbons reckons “it’s the most excited I’ve been at trials since I first started”.
Almost 150 days on from a fall, the injured Hunter jockey took another step towards racing again by riding a series of barrier trials at Newcastle on Wednesday morning. Besides trackwork over the last fortnight, March 5 marked Gibbons’ first hit out since undergoing shoulder surgery towards the end of 2024.
“It’s been a long-time coming and obviously the novelty of being off wears off pretty quickly,” Gibbons told the Newcastle Herald. “The last month or two I’ve really been itching to get back. Thankfully I got back to trackwork two weeks ago and that was able to fill a void. “But fair to say it [today] is the most excited I’ve been at trials since I first started. Obviously it’s great to be back.”
Gibbons described Kris Lees-trained Rustic Steel as a “gentleman” who “made life easy” in the hoop’s return gallop, which was conducted alongside four other runners headlined by Nathan Doyle’s boom colt Private Harry. “Kris has always supported me no matter what so being able to burn Rustic Steel around, he’s a gentleman and made life easy,” Gibbons said.
In terms of circling a specific date on the calendar, Gibbons remained slightly hesitant about nominating a meeting but was eyeing a comeback during the next week or two ahead of The Championships at Randwick in April (5, 12). “Hoping if today goes well, looking at the next 10-to-14 days trying to pick a race meeting to come back,” he said. “I’ve spent three-to-four months fixing this so I don’t want to come back a week early and waste all that time off and rehab. “Obviously I’m keen to get back, but I want to make sure that when I do come back I’m not worrying about it.” Gibbons suffered a dislocation, fracture and tear prior to a race at Port Macquarie on October 11. His most recent ride was November 5.
An unbeaten Private Harry comfortably won the opening barrier trial (900 metres) with the group 1 Galaxy (1100m) next up at Rosehill on March 22. Doyle has accepted with Wooloowin for the group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) at home on Friday with Lees’ Hellavadancer the other local hope. Amenable was topweight at 58 kilograms, Makarena the highest rated of the 13 runners and Lavish Empire scored the inside gate. Coastwatch won the listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone last year. Bjorn Baker’s trio are Highlights, Wategos and Sandpaper. The eight-race program rounds out with a benchmark 68 for fillies and mares named in honour of Samantha Miss.
Meanwhile, the impact of Cyclone Alfred has seen Thursday’s scheduled meeting at Grafton abandoned. “The safety of participants and the general public is paramount and we have empathy with the local communities impacted by the cyclone,” Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said. “Conduct of the race meeting tomorrow would be both impractical and insensitive. Our thoughts and best wishes are with the people affected.”
Events at Ballina (Saturday) and Coffs Harbour (Monday) are both in doubt.
NEWCASTLE STAKES: Amenable, Makarena, Coastwatch, Grebeni, Highlights, Wategos, Bel Air, Sandpaper, Perfect Thought, Lavish Empire, Wooloowin, Hellavadancer, Miracle Spin.
Credit: Newcastle Herald