“GLORY” READY TO GO

PROMISING young Newcastle sprinter Lightning Glory is shooting for his fourth win on end when he returns to the city at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

The lightly-raced four-year-old will be part of trainer Nathan Doyle’s strong three-pronged attack on the CG&E Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m).

“Along with Lightning Glory, Nathan also intends running Midnight Opal and Silvanito in the race,” the trainer’s racing manager David Dyson said today.

“Our apprentice Shannen Llewellyn has won on Lightning Glory at his last two starts (Wyong and Scone), and will claim 3kg on him at Rosehill, reducing his weight to 56kg.”

Lightning Glory is a son of Hallowed Crown, who won the 2014 Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes at Rosehill.

He has won four of his six starts, and has a real Newcastle connection as his dam, the Congrats mare Kandy, was trained locally by Kris Lees, who won twice with her at Broadmeadow in 2017.

And Kandy’s dam, the six-times winner Sri Lanka (who won twice at Rosehill), also was prepared at Newcastle by the late Group 1 winning trainer Jim Johnstone.

Lightning Glory’s most recent success was at the Scone carnival on May 16 when he defeated Nitro and Bella Corazon in a 3 & 4YO Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m).

He has since easily won a 1000m barrier trial on the Beaumont track last Wednesday, defeating nine rivals.

Stablemate Midnight Opal was unlucky when runner-up to Stardeel in a CG&E Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill on May 30, and Silvanito was first-up when third in the same race.

Doyle also plans to run last start long-priced Rosehill winner Super Bright and a resuming Aroha Stone in the F&M Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m), and another recent Scone carnival winner Shotgun Bella in either that race or the 3 & 4YO Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m).

Hawkesbury Gold Cup winner Churchill’s Choice has concluded her successful campaign following her remarkable performance to come from last when narrowly beaten in the $500,000 Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

Royal Randwick’s $3m The Big Dance (1600m) on the first Tuesday in November will be the mare’s spring goal.

“Both Churchill’s Choice and stablemate Mercy Me (who was unplaced in the Listed Queensland Day Stakes, 1200m at the same Eagle Farm meeting) are both spelling in Queensland,” Dyson said.

“Nathan will plan a lead-up program to The Big Dance for Churchill’s Choice, who became eligible by winning the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) last month.”

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Meanwhile, Newcastle jockey Aaron Bullock’s successful association with Scone co-trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich has earned him a chance for maiden Group 1 glory at Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap meeting at Eagle Farm.

Bullock will ride Cormier for Team Messara in the $1m JJ Atkins (1600m) for two-year-olds.

Bullock, who won the opening race today at Scone on favorite Oakfield Missouri, has partnered the colt in his two starts to date.

Maurice youngster Cormier made a winning debut in a 2 & 3YO Maiden (1100m) at the Scone carnival on May 15 before finishing second to Atkins favorite Tron Bolt in a 2YO Handicap (1300m) on heavy ground at Rosehill on May 30.

He now meets his conqueror 1kg better, and has drawn nicely in barrier four.

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JUNE 9, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS