MINERVINI SAYS “YES” TO RUBI’S SERVE AT HOME

IT’S a “yes, yes, yes” for local mare Rubi’s Serve at Newcastle tomorrow to try to qualify for the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final.

Trainer Mark Minervini has been in his former home town Adelaide for a few days, and purchased a Yes Yes Yes colt (Lot 264) at the Magic Millions yearling sale.

He returns to Newcastle this afternoon, and this morning gave the “green light” for Rubi’s Serve (Grant Buckley) to line up in the fifth Qualifier (1400m) for both provincial and Midway horses.

Minervini also nominated the mare for another Qualifier (1400m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday for provincial horses only.

Minervini has not previously attempted to qualify a horse for the PMC Final, and feels Rubi’s Serve deserves her chance to be part of the 15-horse field at Royal Randwick on April 12 for the 1400m feature.

His four-year-old mare was a strong-finishing fourth to Welcometobarbados in an earlier Newcastle Qualifier (1400m) on March 1, in what to date has appeared the strongest heat.

Rubi’s Serve was right on the heels of the three placegetters – second and third Lord Of Biscay and Matcha Latte are sharing Final favoritism at $8 with Hawkesbury second Well Timed – when beaten only a length.

“She was silly odds ($41) that day, and again ($26 currently) tomorrow,” Minervini said this morning.

“Whilst she has drawn awkwardly, hopefully she will get a good tempo and be able to finish off in the manner she did last time.

“Rubi’s Serve is deep into her preparation, and I haven’t had to do much with her since that last Qualifier on March 1.”

Matcha Latte, with a new rider in Ash Morgan aboard, was the $3.90 favorite this morning with TAB.com.au, ahead of fellow Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle’s Wooloowin ($4.40).

Like Rubi’s Serve, Wooloowin also drew poorly and Doyle is considering running her instead in the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Jason Collett will ride the four times winner from only seven starts in whichever race Doyle settles on.

The rail is out 4m for the Newcastle program, and a “Good 4” rating was posted this morning by course manager Chris Nation.

Minervini equalled his number of wins (10) last season when Bonjour Madame scored at Taree on Monday at only her second start.

He also purchased the Pariah three-year-old filly for $17,000 at the same Adelaide sale two years ago.

“I went and looked at her at Willow Park at Scone before the sale,” Minervini said. “She is a sweet filly with a good attitude, and I feel she has a bit of a future.”

Wyong trainer Kim Waugh already has qualified two horses – Bojangles (Hawkesbury) and Mogul Monarch (Gosford) – and is seeking to add a third to her Final team, with Northern Eyes (Jay Ford) contesting tomorrow’s Newcastle Qualifier.

The Zoustar four-year-old no doubt will have taken improvement from his first-up eighth to Welcometobarbados in the March 1 Newcastle Qualifier when a post-race vet examination did not reveal any abnormalities.

Unbeaten Newcastle three-year-old Private Harry made the field for Saturday’s $1m The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill, and drew perfectly in barrier six in a field of 15.

English jockey Tom Marquand is a new rider for the provincial’s other Galaxy representative, leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup’s Jedibeel.

Regular rider Tyler Schiller chose to stick with Briasa, on whom he won the $1m Group 2 The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle last November.

Hawkesbury three-year-old Alabama State (Kerrin McEvoy) drew barrier nine in a field of 16 for his resumption in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) against his own age.

Story John Curtis, March 19, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos