By Gary Harley
Rachel King only has one mount at Newcastle Jockey Club’s race meeting on the Beaumont Track on Monday and a recent barrier trial indicates the trip up the M1 won’t be in vain.
King has been booked for the Gai Waterhouse & Adrain Bott-trained mare Love And Light in the 1150m Dailey Family Funerals Maiden Plate.
The lightly raced four-year-old has had a stop-start career of five starts for three placings.
Love And Light (Amy McLucas) heads to the gates at Warwick Farm. Image by Bradley Photographers
In July 2023 the mare had two starts for two seconds at Wyong and Warwick Farm and in the latter she finished in front of Stefi Magnetica.
Her second preparation resulted in the one start at Warwick Farm.
The daughter of Capitalist has trialled twice recently and at Randwick on March 10 with King aboard, she won a trial by a big space under little pressure and the mare has genuine speed.
Armidale trainer Stirling Osland doesn’t venture to Newcastle very often, but he will travel down with Suit Day, a consistent stayer which runs in the opening event the 2100m Davali Yearlings @ Easter Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Suit Day clashed with in-form stablemate So You Are at Scone on March 4 and after looming at the top of the straight was beaten 1.24 lengths. So You Are was beaten a head at Wyong’s Metropolitan meeting on Wednesday.
Suit Day has a win and three placings from his past five starts and Ash Morgan has the mount for the first time.
Former star Newcastle apprentice Dylan Gibbons returns to race riding after 4.5 months off following surgery.
He has five mounts at Monday’s meeting with dual acceptor Naughty Nurse one of his better mounts.
Kris Lees has accepted with the filly in the final two events the 1200m A-Plus Contracting & Poly Welding Class 1 Handicap and the 1300m The Adviser Collective Benchmark 58 Handicap.
The 3yo went to the paddock after a Port Macquarie maiden win in October and she hasn’t raced since, but she has had two recent barrier trials winning the last at Scone hard held.
Scone trainer Scott Singleton and his talented apprentice Mitch Stapleford, both enjoying successful seasons with 24 and 33 winners respectively, combine with in-form Kimberley Moon in the 1150m TAB App Country Boosted Benchmark 66 Handicap.
The mare has won three of her past five starts including a Beaumont Track victory on February 10, and she was hampered at the start when beaten four lengths at Canterbury on February 21.
The Scone pair also combine with Spenzalot in the 1350m Hungerford Hill Wines Country Boosted Maiden. The 3yo was narrowly beaten on debut at Tamworth on March 9 and he had been trialling well prior to that run.
View final fields with full form & race replays for Beaumont Track here