Newcastle's $1 million The Hunter (1300m) has a wide-open market, with Sweynesday the early favourite and Kris Lees chasing his first win in the race with three runners.
Newcastle has its biggest day of the year on Saturday, headed by the $1 million The Hunter (1300m), a Listed handicap. The market is wide open, and New Zealand-bred Sweynesday has come out on top.
Sweynesday on top
Sweynesday, now trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, has drawn barrier 6 and drops in weight to 55kg, with Alysha Collett riding. He has placed at Group 1 level in New Zealand, and the Archibalds have been working to get him back to that form. He is around $6.50, so nothing in the race is short.
Lees goes three-handed
Kris Lees has run several placings in The Hunter but is still chasing his first win. He has three this time:
- Infancy (barrier 5, Jason Collett, 54.5kg) – runner-up in the $2 million Invitation at Randwick a fortnight ago, and one of the next in betting
- Brudenell (barrier 14, Tyler Schiller, 53kg) – third in this race last year
- Lord Of Biscay (barrier 3, Daniel Moor, 53kg) – freshened up after a Melbourne run
Weight talk and a two-time winner
General Salute (barrier 10, Tim Clark) has 59kg and is now top weight because Pericles, who had 61kg, has been scratched and runs in the CF Orr Stakes. Co-trainer Gerald Ryan has questioned the weight his horse was given. General Salute won the Bill Ritchie Handicap first-up this campaign.
Coal Crusher, the only dual winner of the race (2023 and 2025), goes for a third Hunter from barrier 19 under Andrew Adkins.
Others in the market
Ciaron Maher's She's An Artist and Peter Snowden's King Of Roseau (barrier 16, Tom Sherry) are also near the top of the betting. Joseph Pride's Accredited has the best gate, barrier 1, under Regan Bayliss.
The punting angle
Prices are bunched, with nothing shorter than about $6.50. With a big field and several runners drawn wide, the inside gates for Accredited, Lord Of Biscay, Infancy and Sweynesday look like a real advantage over 1300m. Newcastle was rated a Good 4 earlier in the week, so check the final rating before the race.