Mark Newnham subscribes to a popular consensus about the depth of a public holiday two-year-old race, declaring Dark Steel the best of Tulloch Lodge’s four Randwick runners on Saturday.
Dark Steel started favourite before meeting his match with a minor placing behind Mogador at Rosehill last week but Newnham was far from disappointed with the result.
Mogador produced a whirlwind finish from a rearward position to confirm to Godolphin he was a horse of substance, earning a rating as a potential Golden Rose candidate.
It’s that kind of endorsement Newnham says will count in Dark Steel’s favour in the TAB Place Multi Plate (1200m) on Saturday.
“I think the form will stand up. The winner looked to be a very good horse,” Newnham said.
“And if you look at the form of the Saturday two-year-old races they’ve run lately they wouldn’t be any stronger than that one at Rosehill.”
Dark Steel is raced by Greg and Donna Kolivos, the owners who made a name for themselves in racing with Pierro, the colt that won $4.5 million on the racetrack and promises to earn much more at stud.
They will also be represented through the Gai Waterhouse stable with Pajaro, one of two Tulloch Lodge runners taking on Godolphin’s impressive first-up winner Magic Hurricane in the Ranvet Handicap.
Pajaro finished second to Magic Hurricane at Randwick on June 6 and he will meet the import 2kg better.
But it is the consistent mare Role Model that Newnham says will be best suited in the race because of the rain-affected going.
“Role Model is a very good wet tracker and a mile is her right trip,” he said.
Mardi rounds out the stable’s Randwick commitments in the McGrath Estate Agents Handicap when she returns from a short spell.
The mare hasn’t appeared since finishing down the course in the Aspiration Quality at Randwick in March but the four-year-old returned from a long break to win two Rosehill races in January.
Australian Turf Club track spokesman Lindsay Murphy said Randwick was already rated well into the heavy range with more rain forecast before Saturday.
