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By Gary Harley

Newcastle trainer Sam Kavanagh has called on top jockey Jason Collett to end a frustrating run of minor placings for Lady Ichikawa ($3.50 favourite on TAB) when she contests the 1250m Red Funnel Food Distributors Maiden Plate at the Newcastle race meeting on Tuesday.

The mare has been placed in her last five starts, the past three on this track in arguably better fields than tomorrow.

Three starts back on this track Lady Ichikawa missed the start by four lengths and finished strongly to be beaten by 1.2 lengths.

Lady Ichikawa (Chad Schofield) parades at Newcastle. Image by Bradley Photographers

Two starts back the five-year-old again on this track on August 15 was held up in the straight when a closing third.

Last start on September 3 the mare was held up near the turn before finding the front 150m out but was run down near the line.

The track is expected to be soft, and Lady Ichikawa has had three placings on rain-affected tracks.

Collett will be aboard Ciaron Maher’s colt Force Red ($2.20 fav) in the 900m The Advisor Collective Maiden Plate and the 3yo will be hard to beat.

In his only race start when in the Snowden stable, Force Red debuted in the Group 3-Randwick Breeders' Plate (1000m) in September last year.

He began quickly, settled third on the fence and held his ground well in the run home beaten 1.2 lengths by the smart Espionage.

The horse had two trials for the Maher stable and he has indicated he is set to win first-up.

In the last trial at Warwick Farm on September 13 he cruised to the line under James McDonald to just miss. He had plenty in reserve.

Firm Agreement ($8.50) from the Neasham-Archibald stable carries the same Triple Crown syndicators colours as Force Red and he steps out in the 1500m Rarity Wholesale Maiden Plate with Tom Sherry in the saddle.

After a Randwick trial win on a heavy track on August 19 the 3yo debuted in a 1350m Newcastle Maiden on September 3 on a firm Good 3 track. He has speed and raced outside the leader when beaten 0.32 of a length into second place.

Local trainer Nathan Doyle has trained 11 winners in less than two months of the current season and his Kiwi-bred mare Ace’s In Bloom ($10) is ready to win the 1250m Allied The Careful Movers Benchmark 64 Handicap.

The mare came from midfield for a strong Newcastle win first-up on August 3 over 1200m on a soft 7 track.

Last start at Scone the 4yo found the 1100m trip too short and after racing worse than midfield where Ace’s In Bloom only got going late flashing home for third.

Ash Morgan, last season’s NSW Jockeys Premiership winner, is back from an overseas holiday and rides Ace’s In Bloom.

Mudgee-trained Amicus Curiae ($4.80) is out to maintain his unbeaten Newcastle record when he benefits from Ben Osmond’s 2kg allowance in the 1500m Williams Designer Homes Benchmark 68 Handicap.

The 7yo has had two starts at Newcastle in July and August and has been very impressive in both wins. Six of his eight wins have been on soft tracks and he draws positively.

Michael Freedman’s Spanish Fox ($4 equal fav) can continue on his winning way in the final event, the 1250m Dailey Family Funerals Benchmark 64 Handicap.

The front-runner has easily won his last two starts at Hawkesbury and 2kg-claimer Zac Wadick has the mount.

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