AETHELWULF ALL THE RAGE FOR NEWCASTLE GOLD CUP

THE Newcastle Gold Cup is over even before it is run, according to market assessors.

Staying find Aethelwulf is all the rage for the $300,000 Group 3 Cup (2300m) even though he is yet to be tried in stakes company.

Only 11 entries – they have been extended until 11am tomorrow – were received, and TAB.com.au in its first market posted the lightly-raced Sydney four-year-old as a dominant $1.60 favorite before tightening to $1.50.

Fellow Sydney stayer So You Are, who won the Listed City Tatts Cup (2400m) at Royal Randwick on September 5, is at $4 with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s Bella Montagna($5), fourth in the recent Listed Wyong Cup (2100m), the only other horse under double figures.

Sydney Cup winner Changingoftheguard, one of two entries for leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, is at $15, with stablemate Age Of Sail at $51.

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Aethelwulf, a winner of four of his only six starts in restricted class, also has been entered by trainer Matt Smith for Saturday’s Group 2 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick, which also carries a $300,000 purse.

However, Smith has indicated he is keen to run the gelding at Newcastle as a test for the Group 2 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 3, for which he is also favorite at $3.50.

Aethelwulf is the sole Newcastle Cup entry amongst the 19 Kingston Town nominations, and will be the shortest priced favorite since Gai Waterhouse’s Glencadam Gold at $1.30 beat eight rivals at Newcastle in 2012, and then also won The Metropolitan.

Both races carry a “free ticket” into The Metropolitan, recently downgraded from Group 1 status.

Aside from Lees’ pair, the only other provincial entries for the Newcastle Cup are local trainer Dale Wagstaff’s Farraige and Rita’s Pearl, both listed as $301 bolters.

Whereas the Cup was light on for nominations, not so with the other two Group 3 features – the $250,000 Cameron Handicap (1500m) and $250,000 Tibbie Stakes (1400m); the latter for fillies and mares.

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The Cameron carries not only a ballot free clause into the $1.5m Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 3, but also a “ticket” for the winner to the $3m Listed Big Dance (1600m) there on November 3.

Twenty-horses were nominated for the Cameron, and 19 for the Tibbie, run at set weights plus penalties.

Chris Waller’s talented four-year-old Mr Miller, chasing both a hat-trick and Epsom entry, is the early $2.50 favorite, whilst Newcastle mares Infancy (Kris Lees) and Churchill’s Choice (Nathan Doyle) are $4.50 joint favorites for the Tibbie.

Other provincial nominations for the Cameron are Lees’ Tavi Time ($11), and Matcha Latte ($11) and Dusty Bay ($51), trained respectively by Wyong pair Nacim Dilmi and Tracey Bartley.

Mr Miller, Tavi Time and Matcha Latte also are amongst 25entries for Saturday’s Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) at Randwick, which provides the winner with Epsom entry and without penalty.

Bartley has also nominated Titanium Miss for the Tibbie, and Newcastle trainer Mark Minervini has entered Smiling Prophet, a gutsy fourth at $101 in the recent Listed Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m) at Wyong.

STORY JOHN CURTIS,

September 14 - Pics Bradley Photos