MINERVINI “TICKLED PINK” WITH MARE’S PROGRESS

MARK Minervini will have eight runners over the next three days at various meetings.

And there’s no doubt the Newcastle trainer will be “tickled pink” if a promising mare in his keeping runs well on resumption at a feature meeting at Port Macquarie tomorrow.

Tickle Me Pink (Luke Rolls) kicks off a new campaign in the Queen Of The North Benchmark 74 Handicap (1200m) for fillies and mares.

She will be joined on the float north by Castelle, Pratt, Rose Of Dubai and Bella Kathleen.

Rolls also rides Castelle, Rose Of Dubai and Bella Kathleen, and apprentice Grady Spokes has the mount on Pratt.

Tickle Me Pink, a four-year-old daughter of Golden Slipper winner Vancouver, has started only six times for two wins and as many placings, and hasn’t raced since finishing third at Newcastle in early August.

Minervini would like to have a crack at the forthcoming Provincial-Midway Championships series, but realises he has to lift the mare’s benchmark rating.

“I also nominated Tickle Me Pink for a Benchmark 68 Handicap (1250m) at Newcastle on Saturday, and there were 40 nominations and she was well down the list in ballot order,” he said today.

“Tomorrow’s race won’t be easy against some much better performed mares, but it’s a good starting point.

“Importantly, she has been to Port Macquarie before, where she won her Maiden over 1206m last June.“And Luke (Rolls) knows her well. He rode her in that Port Macquarie success, and also when she won a Midway Class 1 Handicap (1200m) at Newcastle the following month.

“She has had two nice trials at Wyong and on the Beaumont track.

“Provided Tickle Me Pink (raced by a ladies’ syndicate) races well tomorrow, we can go to a provincial race next.

“We have to get her benchmark rating up to be sure of securing a start in one of the Provincial-Midway Qualifiers (the $1m Final will be run over 1400m at Royal Randwick on April 11).”

After Minervini’s five representatives at Port Macquarie, he has Shall Be lining up at Randwick on Saturday, and Resume at Wyong on Sunday.

Ash Morgan rides Shall Be in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m), and Keagan Latham has the mount on Resume in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (1350m).

Minervini rated Shall Be’s first-up defeat when last of nine runners at Warwick Farm on December 17 as a “forgive run”.

“It was his first start since late July, and he raced wide throughout,” he said.

“I wasn’t disappointed at all how he went given the circumstances, and he has trained on well since.

“He carried 59kg that day, and drops 2.5kg going up a little in grade, and is drawn better.”

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JANUARY 22, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS