Newcastle Newmarket Handicap added to Golden Slipper Race Day

The Group 3 $125,000 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1350m) has been added to the Golden Slipper Race Day at Rosehill on Saturday following the cancellation of the Beaumont Track meeting at Newcastle today.

Newcastle Newmarket Handicap at Rosehill. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Famous Seamus will carry the top weight in the rescheduled Newcastle Newmarket Handicap at Rosehill. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Stewards were forced to cancel the feature race meeting after 26mm of rain fell during the morning on top of overnight rain prior to an 11am inspection which found the track to be unsafe for racing.

The addition of the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap to the glamour Golden Slipper Race Day now sees a mammoth ten race program which includes the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) as one of five Group 1 races on the day.

The other Group 1 features are the $700,000 Ranvet Stakes (2000m), the $1m China Horse Club George Ryder Stakes (1500m), the $600,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and the $700,000 Banjo Galaxy (1100m).

Racing NSW steward Marc Van Gestel said he and his panel had no choice but to call off the meeting today after there was surface water lying on the track after heavy rain fell during the the morning.

“As soon as we stepped onto the track there was surface water sitting there,” steward Marc Van Gestel told Sky Thoroughbred Central.

“Particularly in the areas they raced last meeting when the rail was out five metres.

“The most concerning thing is that it’s quite inconsistent. Towards the fence the track is probably no worse than a good four, soft five but certainly out wide in the five metre range it’s a heavy 10 and beyond.

“In our view it was unsafe to proceed with the meeting.”

“Today with the water sitting there not draining, sitting on top, it’s just inconsistent and quite unsafe to race on.”

The original field and barrier draw for the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap will remain the same and it will be run as the final race ten at 6.25pm local Sydney time.

Trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith’s Group 1 winning sprinter Famous Seamus and Stradbroke Handicap winner River Lad head the weights for the Newmarket Handicap with 59kg while the Gai Waterhouse trained Ecuador is at the top of the market order at Ladbrokes.com.au at $4.20.

The other feature race on today’s Beaumont Track program, the $100,000 The Provincial Championship Qualifier (1350m) will be now be run on Sunday at Wyong with the original field and barrier draw remaining the same while the remaining races have been abandoned.

Newcastle Newmarket Handicap market order: $4.20 Ecuador, $5.50 Nancy, Bull Point, $7.50 Sadler’s Lake, $8 Artistry, $10 Amovatio, $12 Lunar Rise, $13 Religify, $16 Famous Seamus. $17 Queen Of Kariba, $26 River Lad, $31 Aomen.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.