Cruel blow for Newhart
LAST season’s Tasmanian horse of the year Newhart is unlikely to race again this season owing to a leg injury suffered during a recent interstate campaign.
The Barry Campbell-trained gelding took out the state’s top gong last season courtesy of his wins in the Devonport Cup and feature weight-for-age events the Thomas Lyons at Elwick (1400m) and Mowbray Stakes (1600m) in Launceston.
While Campbell did not reveal the extent of the injury, he confirmed the gelded son of Fighting Sun would spend at least the rest of the year in the paddock.
It is a bitter blow given the fiveyear-old was being aimed at the same feature weight-for-age races he won last season and would have been favoured to jag them again.
Newhart contested two races in Melbourne, the latest at Sandown on a hard track that led to many horses jarring up and some, like Newhart, suffering more serious issues.
Campbell had a night out in Launceston last Friday, snaring a treble on the nine-event card.
The Hall of Fame trainer will be hoping to extend his winning streak by one in Launceston on Wednesday night with his lightly raced gelding Freelancer, which will contest the maiden class one over 2100m.
Freelancer has been placed at his past three starts over distances ranging from 1350 to 1600m, and this will be the four-year-old’s first venture over 2100m. Campbell said after his most recent start over 1600m when second to the highly promising Anacreon that the gelded son of Wordsmith was crying out for more ground.
Anacreon was impressive in winning a fortnight ago and the Adam Trinder-trained seven-year-old looks well placed to make it successive wins in the Phil Hughes Office Solutions 0-62 Handicap over 1600m (race 8). Anacreon was sent to Trinder this year and showed some ability when fourth of six at his Tasmanian debut on the synthetic in Devonport mid-September.
But back on turf in Launceston two weeks ago, he delivered like a horse with a future and the opposition on Wednesday night is not overly impressive.
LAST Friday night’s Launceston meeting made its debut into Turkey, which has committed to taking most of the night meetings at the venue for the rest of the year.
Given Tasmania boasts three Turkish jockeys in Bulent Muhcu, Ismail Toker and Mehmet Ulucinar, there is greater interest than normal in the Tasmanian product.
Ulucinar and Muhcu did the right thing by each riding a winner, with Ulucinar successful aboard the Barry Campbell-trained Le Cadeau and Muhcu partnered the John Blackertrained outsider Costero to victory.
Friday’s meeting also made its way into Singapore which regularly takes the Tasmanian product that comprises the races, mounting yard coverage and post-race interviews.