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The third running of the $1 million ‘The Hunter’ will take place on Saturday headlining an exciting 10-race Metropolitan stand-alone meeting at Newcastle Racecourse.

The Hunter, a 1300m race for top class sprinters, debuted in 2019 as part of The Everest carnival.

Godolphin mare Savatiano took out the race’s inaugural edition, from locally-trained pair Tactical Advantage (Kris Lees) and Bon Amis (Jason Deamer).

In 2020, Randwick trainer John Thompson’s six-year-old mare Sweet Deal crossed the $1m finish line first ridden by jockey Nash Rawiller.

In 2021, The Hunter will be supported by a new race for stayers, the 2300m 'The Beauford' with prizemoney of $300,000, along with the Group 3 New Zealand Bloodstock Spring Stakes for three-year-olds over 1600m and the Max Lees Classic for two-year-olds over the 900m short course.

The meeting’s Metropolitan status will ensure high-quality fields of City, Provincial and Country-trained runners across all 10 races on the card, with eight out of the 10 races carrying a prize pool of $130,000 or more.

The Hunter meeting will again feature the Charlestown Square Fashions on the Field with Charlestown Square Stylist Nat Baker and Hit FM’s “Ducko” joining the judging panel this year.

With the beautiful NBN Newsreader Natasha Beyersdorf as MC, online registrations close at midday on Friday, and NJC’s Fashions On The Field team will be ready from 11am to take in-person registrations on the day just inside the main entry gates.

With COVID-19 restrictions slowly easing, there are limited hospitality packages still available for pre-purchase, contact events@njc.com.au for all ticketing enquiries.

Duane Dowell, NJC's Chief Executive, said The Hunter Raceday would provide a very welcome excuse to get dressed up and head out for a great day at the races again, something we haven’t been able to enjoy in person for much of 2021.

“The whole NJC team is excited to be hosting the third running of our million-dollar race, The Hunter, and we are ready to welcome back racegoers from all over Newcastle and the Hunter,” Dowell said.

“This year has seen lots of change and some challenging times for many of us because of COVID. The team at NJC has been working around the clock to make sure everything is perfect for this Saturday’s raceday.

"The track looks fantastic and is ready for a bumper 10-race card. The hospitality venues are all looking beautiful and ready for our patrons to enjoy some amazing menus.

“We can’t wait for Saturday to arrive and we are looking forward to a fun and safe day of elite racing at Newcastle Racecourse,” he added.

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