BLINKERS QUICKLY COME OFF SHALL BE FOR RANDWICK TILT

• 

MARK Minervini has wasted no time in taking blinkers off Shall Be for his Royal Randwick mission on Saturday.

The Newcastle trainer has called on apprentice Will Stanley to ride the gelding in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m).

“I put blinkers on Shall Be for the first time last start at the Kensington track, but the experiment didn’t work,” Minervini said this morning.

“He over-raced when sixth to Vella’s Best, so they have come off.

“Shall Be is in great order, and looks outstanding.

“He needs everything to go his way, but is knocking on the door to break through again.

“Hopefully the door opens for him on Saturday.

“He is definitely not out of this race”.

• 

Minervini has won five races – the latest in a Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (900m) at Newcastle in February - with the five-year-old.

Shall Be has raced four times this preparation (with a Scone 1000m barrier trial early last month in between) for placings at Port Macquarie and Canterbury.

Stanley’s 3kg claim, will lessen the gelding’s weight to 56.5kg, 3kg less than he carried at the Kensington track on July 29.

Provincial trainers are strongly represented in the Midway Benchmark 72 with nine of the 12 runners.

Kembla Grange trainers Rob and Luke Price have Century Song (Tommy Berry) and Zaragoza (apprentice Braith Nock), and fellow Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker has impressive first-up home track winner Let’s Go Again (apprentice Siena Grima).

• 

Wyong trainers Kim Waugh and Damien Lane have Be Quiet (Jay Ford) and Sneaky Sofia (apprentice Anna Roper)respectively, Newcastle’s Paul Perry has Cosy Corner (apprentice Shannen Llewellyn), Gosford’s Greg McFarlane has Bremel (apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald), and Hawkesbury trainer Matt Vella has first-up home track winner Twinkling Star, to be ridden by Rachel Kijng.

Minervini also accepted with Hanau, another Stanley booking, in the Randwick closer, the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m).

However, he sent Hanau to the Vet Clinic this morning with an issue, and subsequently withdrew him.

“That’s disappointing as I was giving Hanau a good each-way chance,” Minervini said.

“His second-up record is good (two wins from five starts) and he would have been getting back on a more suitable soft track rather than heavy.”

STORY JOHN CURTIS, AUGUST 6, 2026 - BRADLEY PHOTOS