Training a one-two result has its obvious rewards but it doesn’t have the same appeal to trainer Tony Newing as getting the chance to win his second city race within the space of a week.
That’s why Newing sacrificed a potential quinella finish when he scratched one runner at Randwick on Saturday before duly landing the money with another.
In what was Newing’s first metropolitan success for the season, Timeless Prince ran home strongly to win in the absence of stablemate Lester’s Home.
Lester’s Home will be one of the favourites to confirm Newing has made the right call when he runs in the Schweppes Handicap at Canterbury on Wednesday.
“We were going to run both horses together at Randwick but we thought why not try and win two races instead of one,” Newing said.
Newing is adamant Lester’s Home is a better horse than Timeless Prince, an assessment that augers well for the four-year-old’s Canterbury prospects of improving on an encouraging record of five wins in 14 starts.
“He is a horse with a lot of promise and just immaturity and education have stopped him from getting to where he is now a lot earlier,” Newing said.
“I think Lester’s Home is about two lengths better than Timeless Prince.
“Timeless Prince is a very tough horse. He doesn’t possess a great deal of ability but he possesses a great will to win.”
Newcastle-based Andrew Gibbons is the only jockey to win on Lester’s Home and he will make a rare city riding appearance in a bid to maintain a profitable association.
“Andrew definitely deserves the opportunity to ride this horse in the city as opposed to riders who mightn’t know him,” Newing said.
“He seems to have the knack with the horse and the fact he rates him as a horse with a future probably helps.”
The midweek card will be Blake Shinn’s first for the season as the frontrunner in the Sydney jockeys’ premiership.
Shinn goes into the meeting 1-1/2 winners in front of Hugh Bowman after riding a treble at Randwick on Saturday.
