BY any measurement, with 40 Group 1 wins, Craig Newitt has been a successful jockey, but even he’s taken aback about where he now sits in the annals of Australia’s most famous sprint race, the Newmarket Handicap.
After he scored his fourth win in the time-honoured race on Caballus for Bjorn Baker, he now sits at the top of the Newmarket jockey tree.
“It’s pretty humbling. Took a while to get there. It was a great pick-up – unfortunate for Hughie(Bowman, who couldn’t make the weight),” Newitt said.
“So it’s been a while, but I’ve been sitting equal leader on the most amount of Newmarket wins, probably the most historic race in Australia at the moment, apart from the Melbourne Cup, especially for sprinting. To be the most winningest rider, I’m very honoured.”
His other wins were on Miss Andretti (2007), Shamexpress (2013) and The Quarterback (2016).
The jockeys he passed were Harold Badger, Athol Mulley, Craig Newitt, Damien Oliver and Harry White, who all rode three Newmarket Handicap winners.
Newitt said he walked the track and decided to stay on the fence on Caballus rather than go to the outside as a pre-race tactic.
Caballus took up the running from the outse,t with the rest of the field following him across to the inside of the track.
Caballus’ trainer Bjorn Baker picked up his second Group 1 win of the Melbourne Festival Of Racing carnival, having also won the Futurity Stakes with Pericles.
He added another chapter to what is becoming an amazing love affair with the Flemington straight.
In addition to the Newmarket Handicap, he also won the 2023 Coolmore Stud Stakes with Ozzmosis at Group 1 level.
Overpass has won the 2022 Inglis Sprint and Within The Law the 2024 Inglis Banner.
This season, Baker has also won the G3 Rising Fast Stakes with Caballus and the G3 Standish Handicap with Disneck.
Although Tom Kitten has always been a top-class galloper, Anthony and Sam Freedman are using different training tactics with him and that was rewarded when he became the first horse to win two All-Star Miles.
Sam Freedman said they think Tom Kitten is better suited by being kept fresh and he proved that with his win in the All-Star Mile, being six weeks between runs.
In an exciting finish, Tom Kitten defeated Evaporate by a short neck with Pride Of Jenni a head away third.
“I feel he’s best fresh at a mile. We might see him in the Doncaster more likely than the Australian Cup,” Freedman said.
“He’s also entered in Dubai and Hong Kong, so there’s plenty of options for him. The beauty of him is he’s an easy horse to work with and I’m just rapt for the whole crew.”
