Newitt’s ride the decider

TRAINER John Blacker was in two minds when asked to select which one of his two runners in the benchmark 82 handicap over 1350m would win in Devonport yesterday.

In the end he opted for Zatacla and the money followed to send the gelding around the $3.20 favourite, in from $6, while Beaufort Lad was a drifter from $2.90 to start at $4.40.

But somebody forgot to give the script to jockey Craig Newitt, who proved yet again why he is the state’s premier rider.

The well-backed Agree To ($4.40) led but he was attacked from the outset by outsider Kanji ($16), while rider Bulent Muhcu had Zatacla camped off the speed and ready to pounce when they hit the home turn.

Muhcu opted to ease his charge three-wide to challenge while Newitt could see it all unfolding ahead and took the shortest way home on the rails aboard Beaufort Lad. It proved to be the difference between winning and finishing second.

The stablemates settled down to a two-horse war over the final 200m, with Beaufort Lad emerging the victor by a long neck.

“Zatacla ran second to Hellova Street at weight-for-age last prep, so he had that sort of form so I can see why he was heavily backed, while Beaufort Lad didn’t have that sort of form behind him,” Blacker said. “But at the end of the day, the stable has quinellaed the race and you’d take that any day of the week.

“I am pleased with both horses and they will probably have another one or two more runs each before heading to the paddock for a short break and I’ll bring them back for a couple of the weight-for-age races later in the season.

“Zatacla will most likely be back in Devonport in a fortnight in a benchmark 82 race over 1650m and if Beaufort Lad doesn’t go there as well, he will go to a 1200m race at Mowbray at the first meeting back on the grass on October 12.” MYSTIC JOURNEY had her colours lowered for the first time this season when she finished second to Gatting in the Makybe Diva at Flemington on Saturday, but it was a different story on trainer Adam Trinder’s home track yesterday, where he landed a treble.

Trinder’s Easy Road made it back-to-back wins when he led throughout to win a classone handicap (1150m) and two of his stable newcomers Elton’s Song and Benny Goes Berzerk delivered impressive wins.

Elton’s Song arrived at Trinder’s stable in June and was having his fifth start for his new trainer, while Benny Goes Berzerk was making his Tasmanian debut and both are raced by the Victorian-based Roll the Dice syndicate.

The syndicate’s talented mare Twitchy Frank landed in Trinder’s care last year.

He went on to prepare her to win the Group 3 $150,000 Vamos Stakes at Mowbray in February.