Hong Kong-bound trainer Mark Newnham has two chances to land another Group 1 win before he bows out of Sydney racing and they both rest with import King Frankel.
The first comes at Rosehill this weekend when the stayer lines up in the Tancred Stakes (2400m), on the way to his main mission in next month’s Sydney Cup (3200m).
Newnham is the first to admit King Frankel looks disadvantaged by the weight-for-age conditions on Saturday but says he is a talented horse in a race with a track record of producing an upset.
“If you go back through the history, it’s a race that can throw up an odd result,” Newnham said.
“I remember a horse that Pam Webber ended up training (Curata Storm) winning at 100-1 one year, Rod Quinn rode him and he was a class one horse at the time.
“Even horses like Blutigeroo that won, and Freemason beat Northerly.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he won, and I’ll be very happy if he does.”
King Frankel was a first-up winner of the Parramatta Cup (1900m) then stuck to his task last start when fourth to international Protagonist in the Sky High Stakes (2000m).
Newnham felt he was outpaced at two crucial stages of that race, shortly after the start and again when the field sprinted at the 600m, a signal to the trainer that King Frankel was looking for a longer journey.
“It took him a while to get to his top and that’s an indicator of a horse looking for a bit further. The step up to a mile-and-a-half on Saturday is suitable,” he said.
“If he’s able to run in the top three on Saturday, which he is more than capable of, it will set him up well for the Sydney Cup.”
Newnham will also saddle up Sunshine Rising in the Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) and while he hasn’t won a race for over three years, the nine-year-old put the writing on the wall with a closing last-start third in the Sky High.
“He was four weeks between runs the other day, which is not ideal, but it was the best race for him,” Newnham said.
“He’s very well in (at the weights) but he has been out of the winner’s stall for a while too. A lot of that was with injury and he’s moving well, he’s fit and Nash (Rawiller) got on well with him the other day.
“He gets his opportunity.”
Newnham also confirmed Matcha Latte, who had been slated to run in the ATC Australian Derby, had been sent for a gelding procedure and wouldn’t race again this autumn.
