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By John Curtis

Hawkesbury continues to be a successful venue for Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle, who heads back there on Thursday seeking to add to his record.

Doyle has a 20%  win strike rate at the track (18 wins) which is second only to home (49 wins) as his best provincial course.

He takes two horses – Kia Ora Gold and Literature Tycoon – to Hawkesbury, and both line up in The Bachmayer Orthodontic Clinic Provincial Maiden Handicap (1500m).

Literature Tycoon (Tyler Schiller) heads to the barriers at Hawkesbury. Image by Bradley Photographers

Dylan Gibbons partners Kia Ora Gold and Kerrin McEvoy is a new rider for Literature Tycoon.

TAB this morning listed the lightly-raced Literature Tycoon as a dominant $2.25 favourite, with her stablemate at $14.

Written Tycoon filly Literature Tycoon has raced only twice – both at Hawkesbury – and caught the eye at her latest start when a close fourth to Noises in a similar race on August 22.

The Stewards Report clearly told the story of her luckless result that day.

'Literature Tycoon began only fairly and when questioned rider Andrew Adkins said he was held up rounding the home turn behind the favorite Torie’s Rose,' the report stated.

'He said that soon after straightening he shifted out to improve to the outside of that runner, however, when Torie’s Rose shifted out he again became held up behind that runner before shifting to its inside approaching the 300m.

'Atkins said that although he was able to place Literature Tycoon under some pressure, he was again disappointed for a run to the inside of Torie’s Rose when that runner shifted back in approaching the 200m.

'He said that he was again briefly held up until after passing the 200m when he was able to place Literature Tycoon under full pressure and it closed its race off well.

Literature Tycoon was beaten less than a length, and Noises confirmed the form by doubling up with an impressive 1800m victory at Hawkesbury last Saturday.

She again opposes the second and third placegetters from the August 22 race, locally-trained pair Torie’s Rose (Ed Cummings) and Suay Mam’selle (Terry Croft), and meets both on better terms.

The Newcastle filly has a 0.5kg advantage over Torie’s Rose, and 3kg over Suay Mam’selle.

Doyle, with 267 career wins to date, is off and running in the new season with seven winners already. His racing manager David Dyson says McEvoy’s booking is obviously a strong pointer to Literature Tycoon’s prospects of breaking through at only her third start.

“She stays at 1500m, and no doubt will have taken benefit from her first two starts,” he said.

“Kia Ora Gold (a Kermadec four-year-old) was narrowly beaten over 1600m when resuming at Newcastle on August 15, and then raced a bit flat when fifth at Scone over the same distance at his next run when the track was firm.

“Dylan (Gibbons) rode Kia Ora Gold at Newcastle, and is back on him at Hawkesbury.”

Torie’s Rose ($4.60 second favourite), who races in the famous green and gold stripes and white cap of her trainer’s legendary late grandfather Bart Cummings, has raced nine times and been placed at three of her five starts this preparation.

The four-year-old mare for the first time will jump without a barrier blanket being placed on her.

Torie’s Rose has started favourite on three occasions, including her debut run at home 12 months ago when odds-on and slow to jump and then failing to muster early pace when eighth to Smashing Dancer in a Provincial Maiden Plate (1000m).

Tyler Schiller takes over on the mare, having ridden her only once previously when eighth in a Warwick Farm Super Maiden Plate (1200m) on September 20 last year at her second start.

Stewards have given Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker permission for Lee Magorrian to ride Lichester 0.5kg over at 55.5kg in the Griffin Air Conditioning Benchmark 64 Handicap
(2000m).

Lichester ($23) has won twice from 18 starts, but hasn’t been successful since January 13 at Kembla Grange in a Provincial Class 1 Handicap (1300m) at $20 when having her first outing after joining Parker’s team.

The rail is in the TRUE position, and course manager Kyle Cassim at 8am today posted a Good 4 rating, with a penetrometer reading of 5.02. A total of 15mm of irrigation (4mm in last 24 hours) has been put on the track in the past seven days, and no rain has been recorded.

The eight-race program begins at 1.05pm.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Hawkesbury here