OLD AND NEW” FOR DOYLE’S HOME DOUBLE

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NEWCASTLE trainer Nathan Doyle’s home track double yesterday was a case of “the old and the new”.

Doyle called on his current apprentice Liberty Smyth and former apprentice Shannen Llewellyn (who is on loan to Ciaron Maher at Warwick Farm) to continue his early season momentum, having now trained 14 winners since August 1.

Smyth won the Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap (900m) on Emalyn ($3.10), and Llewellyn the Conditional Benchmark 68 Handicap (1300m) on stablemate Caltsar ($26).

“Liberty had ridden three provincial winners previously but Emalyn was her first for Nathan,” Doyle’s racing manager David Dyson said today.

“She is good value with her 3kg allowance, which brought Emalyn’s weight back to 54.5kg.

“She had been trialling well, and Liberty’s claim gave Emalyn a decided 9kg advantage over topweight Valilee.”

The weight disparity proved telling indeed.

Wyong trainer Jake Hull’s $2.70 favorite Valilee was really gallant under his big weight after having to work hard, but couldn’t hold off his lighter-weighted rival.

Emalyn (by Prague) is putting together a tidy record.

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T`he four-year-old mare has won twice (both at Newcastle) and been placed six times from a dozen starts.

She is a younger half-sister to this year’s Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup winner Churchill’s Choice; both raced by Kevin Hill and trained by Doyle.

Courtesy of her Hawkesbury triumph, Churchill’s Choice is on a path toward the $3m Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on November 3.

“Churchill’s Choice has trained on well since her excellent first-up fifth in the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at the Newcastle Cup carnival last month,” Dyson said.

“She has been nominated for the $1.5m Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, and will either run there or in the Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick a week later.”

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Australian Bloodstock-raced Caltsar was having his second start this preparation after a first-up fourth to subsequent city winner Concrete Storm in a Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m) at Hawkesbury on September 10.

He carried 59.5kg then after Smyth’s 3kg claim, and dropped 1kg (after Llewellyn’s 2kg claim) yesterday going to a Benchmark 68.

“Shannen knows Caltsar well, having won a 1350m Benchmark 64 on him on the Beaumont track on Boxing Day last year,” Dyson said.

“She also rode him in two Provincial-Midway Championships qualifiers at Newcastle and Kembla Grange earlier this year.”

STORY JOHN CURTIS, OCTOBER 4, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS