Geraldton Turf Club 14th season meet: On the Mark continues to impress as Cup nears

With the Geraldton Gold Cup fast approaching, trainers are throwing their best horses on the track for the remaining few meets before the big dance, with punters keeping a close eye on contenders.

Three races on Saturday day took the attention of punters as trainers and jockeys began to prepare for Cup day.

Once again Barry Newnham’s On The Mark stamped its authority on the field in race four with a stunning win by four lengths to Regional Championship winner Sure No Something.

Peta Edwards rode the four-year-old gelding to yet another win in impressive fashion.

Drawing barrier seven, the Newnham stable product ran the outside to perfection, holding third until the last bend, where Edwards gave the gelding the green light to storm home, taking out race four by four lengths.

Ron Cowl’s Sure No Something, ridden by Kyra Yuill, finished second, also coming home in strong fashion after trailing the pack until the last 100m.

Sure No Something ran a similar race at Ascot to take out the Regional Championship earlier in the season, finding itself tucked into the back of the pack until the 200m mark.

Race six was taken out by Julia Martin’s $14 outsider Bombay Style, who led from the front straight out of the barriers.

Martin said she was impressed with how jockey Chanel Cooper rode the nine-year-old.

“Chanel was great, really had a crack and it paid off,” she said.

“We knew having her on board would give us the best chance of taking it out.

“She took it on and rode to the plan we had in mind, so we are over the moon with the result.”

Stablemate Miff Muffered Moof, ridden by Kristy Bennett, finished sixth out of barrier eight, working hard to come from the back of the pack to finish in the middle.

More suited to longer distances, Miff Muffered Moof will be one potentially to contest for the Geraldton Cup come April.

The final race of the day saw Albie Bowtell’s Collective run home with a strong win in partnership with Kyra Yuill.

Yuill finished her day with a triple at Geraldton with a win on the back of the Bowtell stable product.

Collective eased into the 1600m, tailing the back of the pack in the early section of the race before creeping through the pack leading up to the final bend, where Yuill rode her home, getting the better of Sanabeau by a length and a half.

Bowtell said it was an uphill battle from the start but Yuill got the best out of the five-year-old mare.

“We knew it was going to be a tough ask at 60kg but she answered,” he said.

“Huge win for us, Kyra got the most out of her when it mattered.

“Most of her work came in the final 100m after trailing behind.”

With two meets until the Geraldton Gold Cup on Sunday, April 6, trainers will be trialling their best in the lead-up.

Weekend racing returns on Saturday, March 8, at the Geraldton Turf Club.

WINNERS’ LIST:

R1: NEW ATTRACTION (T. G Hammarquist, J. K Yuill)

R2: CONSERVATIVE MISS (T. M Forrester, J. C Hunter)

R3: UNDERCOVER SNIPER (T. G Hammarquist, J. K Yuill)

R4: ON THE MARK (T. B Newnham, J. P Edwards)

R5: GOLD KEEPER (T. W Parker, J. L Staples)

R6: BOMBAY STYLE (T. J Martin, J. C Cooper)

R7: COLLECTIVE (T. A Bowtell, J. K Yuill)