Jack Callaghan will have one eye on a return to Menangle in two weeks when he tries to back up his group 1 win with success in four drives at Newcastle Paceway on Saturday night.
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The 18-year-old from Morisset was one of the stars of the Hunter Region Championships, steering the Clayton Harmey-trained Kanye Crusader to victory in the $100,000 final last Saturday night at Newcastle.
It was Callaghan's first group 1 drive and he returns to the scene of his triumph with chances in the first four races on the eight-event card.
His sights, though, are set on getting more drives at Menangle, which will be open again to all participants from June 13. Harness Racing NSW made the announcement on Friday, also saying Parkes, Leeton, Dubbo and Young will again host meetings from June 1 and from July 1 all regional boundaries will be removed.
HRNSW's regionalisation strategy to combat COVID-19 was put in place in March.
Callaghan, the leading reinsman in the Hunter last season, was focusing on furthering his career at Menangle before the COVID-19 changes restricted him to Newcastle and Tamworth.
Now seven wins away from reaching a century and losing his five-point claim, Callaghan was keen to continue his run at Newcastle.
He drives High Line for his dad, Mark, in the first from gate one. The mare returned from 18 months out with injury for a fourth at Newcastle two weeks ago but she was a Menangle country series heat winner before the break.
"She should take some benefit from the run and she did well after copping a check and breaking around the first turn," Jack said.
In race two, he has the Harmey-trained Yosemite, which broke and finished last at Newcastle a week ago.
"He won the three-year-old Evolution Series final on a Saturday night at Menangle [in February] and he's got a pretty good late turn of foot," Callaghan said.
In the third, he drives the Michael Formosa-trained Si Si Senor, which was ninth at his most recent effort but has since won a trial. He placed twice and won at his previous three runs.
"He goes good when he's right," he said.
"He put in a below-par effort last start but I'm sure Mick will sort him out."
His best chance is in the fourth where he steers Laceys Lad for his father. A winner twice at Newcastle in April, Laceys Lad had an excuse for a last-start eighth.
"He's going really good at the moment," Jack said.
"He got a flat tyre last start but all his starts before that have been really good. He beat Pitch Perfect a few starts ago and came home in 54 for a 2000m race to beat Kid Montana."
Meanwhile, Hunter-owned group 1 winner Shadow Runner has been retired following another tendon injury.
Shadow Runner won the 2015 Bathurst Gold Crown for owner Marissa Dimarco and another 13 races across 37 starts. He was trained by Dimarco's father, Sam, at Brandy Hill until a recent move to Cobbity Equine Farm in an attempt to overcome injury.