Spring gems in the depth of winter are rare finds but trainer Mark Newnham is banking on a stable precedent to potentially unearth one at Randwick.
Newnham will produce a debutant two-year-old over 1400m on Saturday on a timetable that is almost identical to the one 12 months ago that delivered his first Group One winner.
Maid Of Heaven didn’t make it to the races until the last week of July in 2018, but less than three months later the filly claimed the Group One Spring Champion Stakes.
Newnham’s contingent of rising three-year-olds are also tipped for a productive spring and Pierro filly Quintessa could easily join his carnival team if she can train on.
“She’s not dissimilar to a horse like Maid Of Heaven in that she has needed time and a mile-plus distance will probably be her best,” Newnham said.
Newnham is confident his team of 2019-20 three-year-olds will be just as good with horses such as Deep Sea, Shadow Hero and Splintex at the forefront.
“I’m on track for where I wanted to be when I started out with a top-ten metropolitan premiership finish and a Group One winner,” he said.
“We’ve had two Group One winners so I can’t complain.
“The stable has had a really good late two-year-old season so it looks good for their three-year-old year.”
In a paradoxical way, Mark Newnham has had to show patience to enjoy his early success as a trainer since taking out his licence in 2016.
Budgetary constraints forced him to look outside the obvious to build a stable that had diversity.
“When you are starting off you need to have variety,” he said.
“If you just concentrate on two-year-old speed, trying to win races like the Golden Slipper, you are up against the big stables.
“And they have huge numbers and a lot of money to spend.
“By looking for horses who were going to be at their best later in their careers the competition in the sale yard and on the racetrack isn’t as strong.”
Newnham’s stable apprentice Robbie Dolan takes the ride on Quintessa.
Dolan is assured of winning the Sydney junior rider’s title for the season.
Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au
