By Gary Harley
Chris Waller, who trained more winners than any other trainer on the Newcastle track last season has bright prospects of landing a double at the Newcastle Jockey Club’s race meeting on Saturday.
The Waller pair Atlantic Ocean and Coodarady are lightly raced and look well-placed in their respective races on Saturday.
Three-year-old colt Atlantic Ocean, a son of I Am Invincible will contest the Denton Engineering Group Colts & Geldings Maiden Handicap (1400m).
He has had three starts, all in the Autumn and in far superior fields than he meets on Saturday. Atlantic Ocean finished fourth on debut on a Heavy 10 track at Warwick Farm on April 27.
Second up the colt travelled to Flemington where he finished fifth behind Doull in a strong race. Last start he finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths in a $130,000 Caulfield 2yo Handicap on May 28.
Atlantic Ocean has not raced since, however was narrowly beaten in a Warwick Farm trial on a soft track on August 29 and wasn’t far away in his last trial at Rosehill two weeks ago.
Coodarady is a Capitalist four-year-old raced by Waller and his foreman Charlie Duckworth. He led all the way to win a Newcastle maiden on debut 13 months ago.
The gelding will run in the Hunt Hospitality Class 1 Handicap (1400m) on Saturday. He has been disappointing in two starts in August, but he won a recent Warwick Farm trial in which Anamoe finished third. In all three race starts he has led from the outset.
Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer’s four-year-old Sir Kerm will make his debut in the Reliable Conveyor Belt Midway Maiden Plate (1200m) after trialling impressively.
A son of Kermadec, the gelding was narrowly beaten in a Gosford trial on August 29. On September 12 he then bolted in with a Newcastle trial on a Soft 7 track.
Hawkesbury mare Tycoon Hallie is ready to break a run of outs when she contests the Gateshead Traffic Solutions Class 1 & Maiden Plate (1850m).
The mare's only win in fifteen starts was at Hawkesbury in August 2021. She has been placed seven times, and three of her placings have been at Newcastle. Tycoon Hallie has had three starts this preparation and is set to run out a strong 1850m.
The Kris Lees trained Viennoiserie is worth an each-way ticket in race eight after trialling well recently.
Check out the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Newcastle meeting