It will be up to local trainer Richard Nutman to fly the family flag on home turf at Hawkesbury on Sunday.
Nutman is hoping to snare a second race restricted to provincial and country-trained horses in the space of six weeks, this time with Dungannon in the Hi Quality Turf Provincial & Country Maiden Handicap (1300m).
But his apprentice daughter Claire, on the verge of capturing her initial Hawkesbury junior riding title, will be an absentee from the final meeting of the season.
Nutman, 25, returned overnight from a US vacation with fiancée, fellow jockey Chad Lever. The couple will be in Adelaide this weekend spending time with Lever’s family.
Father and daughter combined with Admit to win a 1300m Provincial & Country Maiden Plate at the previous Hawkesbury Sunday fixture on June 12, and senior jockey Mitchell Bell has the Dungannon mount on Sunday.
The five-year-old God’s Own mare has been in consistent form (not finishing further back than fourth in three starts, including two placings) since returning from a lengthy spell, and her trainer rates her a “good chance” of breaking through.
“Dungannon’s favourable draw (5) is going to be important with the rail out 3m for the entire distance of this race,” Nutman said this morning.
“She has trained on nicely, and definitely has to be one of the better chances.”
Dungannon ran fourth in Admit’s June 12 race and then came back in distance when third to two-year-old Tickling in an 1100m Maiden Plate at Hawkesbury on June 7.
The mare has been placed at five of her 15 starts to date. Nutman has prepared two winners at home this season, whilst his daughter’s five winners at the track have all but assured her of the apprentices’ premiership.
Two of her closest rivals, Winona Costin and Deanne Panya, are not riding at the meeting and the other, Blaike McDougall, needs to land at least two winners to share the spoils with her.
He has three bookings – Imposition, Operose and Sianara – all for Hawkesbury trainer Garry Frazer, and the former is an emergency and not yet guaranteed a start.
Claire Nutman, meanwhile, will be back in action at Canterbury Park on Wednesday when she attempts a hat-trick of victories on Admit in a Benchmark 72 Handicap (1250m).
Fellow Hawkesbury trainer Nick Mitchell has consistent Belridge (Grant Buckley) in Sunday’s Provincial & Country Maiden at home, and also a 1350m Maiden Handicap on the Beaumont track tomorrow.
Mitchell has endured a frustrating run of placings since scoring at Wyong in late January with Rutherglen.
“If placings were counted as wins, I’d be retired,” he joked this morning.
Mitchell has put a noseroll on the three-year-old, who hasn’t finished further back than fourth at his last 10 starts.
“He should have broken through on the Beaumont track last time,” he said. “He half-jumped the shadow from the large infield screen when he was in front and was just nabbed on the post.”
Mitchell has yet to confirm a weekend venue for Belridge, but indicated the gelding’s owner favoured taking him to Newcastle, where he would meet a smaller field.
He has 15 horses in work, and will definitely start Advocacy (Blake Spriggs) in the Evergreen Turf Benchmark 70 Handicap (1800m).
Injury-prone Advocacy has raced only one since October, 2014 and Mitchell feels Sunday’s outing will prime her for longer distances.
Godolphin youngster Brittany has been withdrawn from the Steggles 2YO Maiden Handicap (1000m), giving leading trainer Gerald Ryan three runners – Sinopia (Mitchell Bell), Samantha (Lester Grace) and Zoeasy (Travis Wolfgram).
Ryan, with 19 wins for the season, has the Hawkesbury premiership in his pocket. He is five wins clear of record-breaking Chris Waller.
Hawkesbury (on Friday) morning was upgraded to a “Heavy 8” for Sunday’s meeting, with a penetrometer reading of 5.52.
The track has received 50mm of rain in the past week; only 1mm of that in the last 24 hours.
The rail is 3m out from the 1300m to the winning post, and in the true position for the remainder.
– Racing NSW
