DOYLE CHASING HOME FEATURE IN TIBBIE STAKES

NEWCASTLE trainer Nathan Doyle hopes to follow up a weekend city double with a home feature breakthrough at Friday’s Newcastle Cup carnival.

Doyle, successful with Formal and Silvanito at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday, will rely on Hawkesbury Gold Cup winner Churchill’s Choice in the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) against her own sex.

Whilst he won the 2024 Muswellbrook Cup (1500m) – which was run at Broadmeadow – with the now retired mare Overriding in 2024, he is yet to win a “major” at Newcastle.

Overriding led and ran third to Terra Mater in the Tibbie the same year, and Churchill’s Choice on resumption was runner-up to another mare Tuileries in the Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) in March this year.

The five-year-old daughter of Churchill has raced only twice at her home track, scoring in a Midway Class 1 Handicap (1400m) in December 2024 at her second career start, and then this year’s Newcastle Stakes.

Regan Bayliss won the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) on Churchill’s Choice in May, and also at her next start when runner-up to Hellsing in the Scone Cup (1600m) 13 days later.

“Churchill’s Choice will be our only representative in any of the Group 3 features on Friday,” Doyle’s racing manager David Dyson said this morning.

“Regan has been on her in both recent trials, and is looking forward to continuing his association with her.

“She has had two nice trials, and he was happy with how she finished off over the last 100m of her latest 1000m heat (won by Rivellino) at Gosford on August 31.”

Churchill’s Choice’s Hawkesbury Cup triumph earned her a ticket to the $3m Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on November 3.

“Nathan will map out a program to that race after the Tibbie,” Dyson said.

“He would like to stick to fillies and mares’ races if possible, and she has a high enough rating to be assured of starts.”

Churchill’s Choice’s stablemate, the Kurrinda Bloodstock-raced Hidden Motive, will kick off a new campaign in the Nick Moraitis Trophy Benchmark 88 Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The now four-year-old hasn’t raced since finishing sixth in the Group 3 Irwin Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville in April, and won his latest trial over 1030m at Rosehill last Tuesday.

“Apprentice Braith Nock will ride Hidden Motive on Saturday to claim 1.5kg,” Dyson said.

Doyle’s Rosehill double continued his excellent start to the season; Formal and Silvanito being his 10th and 11th winners since August 1.

Formal received a laceration to his off foreleg in winning the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1200m), and is being spelled.

Australian Bloodstock-raced Silvanito’s success in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1500m) was his fourth metropolitan success, and third for Doyle after beginning his career with now Hong Kong-based James Cummings.

The seven-year-old gelding has a real liking for Rosehill; his last two city victories being achieved there and he has also been placed seven times at the track. STORY BY JOHN CURTIS, SEPTEMBER 14, 2026. PIC BRADLEY PHOTOS.