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By Gary Harley

Chris Waller's dominance of the Group 3 $250,000 Sharp Office Newcastle Gold Cup in recent years is set to continue on Friday.

Newcastle Jockey Club has put together a cracking day's racing with three group 3 events, the $250,000 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m), the $200,000 Yarraman Park Tibbie Stakes (1400m) for Fillies & Mares and the $200,000 Australian Bloodstock Cameron Handicap (1500m).

Waller-trained stayers have won four of the past seven Newcastle Cups and the stable will saddle up a trio of in-form stayers in Friday's Gold Cup.

Born a King (Dylan Gibbons) proves too strong at Rosehill Gardens. Image by Bradley Photographers

Recent Wyong Cup winner Durston ($4 on TAB), runner-up Yiyi ($10) and the in-form Born A King ($4) make up the Waller team.

Durston a seven-year-old European import, will be ridden by James McDonald who is yet to win a Newcastle Cup.

He was trained in Victoria by the Maher & Eustace stable, and the gelding has had three starts for Waller.

Two starts back Durston finished last in the Randwick Premier's Cup after pulling hard and he went into the Wyong Cup with a Norton bit and the gear change did the trick.

McDonald hopped aboard for the first time and after racing at the tail of the field, Durston raced away to win easily with something in hand.

The lightly raced stayer has won up to 2900m in Europe.

Born A King is another import in top form with two wins and two placings in his past four starts. A son of the great Frankel, he is a better horse on top of the ground, but has won on soft going and only has to carry 54kg and McEvoy rides.

Yiyi ran on strongly when runner-up in the Wyong Cup and he is a winner at Newcastle.

Hunter syndicators Australian Bloodstock won the 2020 Newcastle Gold Cup with Mugatoo and their stayer Mankayan ($2.90 favourite), trained by Maher & Eustace, is expected to go to the barriers as the favourite on Friday. He has had four starts this preparation for three wins and a second.

The 7yo has won over 2500m in Europe and top Victorian jockey Ben Melham will fly in to ride the gelding.

Brad Widdup's bonny mare Icebath ($2.80 fav), winner of more than $4.3 million on the racetrack, is a weighted special in the set weight Tibbie Stakes. The mare will only carry 55kg under the conditions and Kerrin McEvoy has the mount.

Icebath loves a wet track and rain is predicted throughout Thursday and Friday morning. In her second start this campaign Icebath was runner-up behind Zaaki in the recent Tramway Handicap.

The Waterhouse-Bott trained Cross Talk ($2 fav) will be favourite in the Cameron Handicap. He has won five of eight starts and he was placed in the recent Hawksbury Rowley Mile.

Cross Talk had a tick over trial on September 1 at Canterbury and he cruised under a hold with Mr Mozart and Ellsberg.

Sydney’s top jockeys are making the trip to Newcastle and with all the many function rooms booked out the NJC are preparing for a huge day on Friday.

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