Racing: Confidence high in The Hunter after bumper meeting

The Saturday, November 14 program, which featured the $1 million The Hunter, group 3 Spring Stakes and the Max Lees Classic for two-year-olds, was held on a Good 4 surface despite almost 25mm of irrigation and 10mm of late unexpected rain in the four days leading up to the meeting.

It was the second time a standalone metropolitan-level meeting has been held on the renovated multi-million dollar all-weather surface at Newcastle, which was launched in March 2017.

Newcastle Jockey Club chief executive Matt Benson said TAB turnover on the meeting "reflects the quality of the program and the punters' faith in the track".

"Total TAB turnover was up between 35 and 40 per cent on last year, which is huge," Benson said. "The punters voted with their wagering on the quality of the meeting and performance of the track."

The NJC is also keen to work with Racing NSW about adding a final of a new regional country series to the annual program.

About 6000 people attended the meeting last year but crowds were capped at 2000 this year because of COVID.

Benson said the experience will change how the club caters for future meetings, with a focus on more booked, seated areas, but "all up we were very pleased with how it all went".

Gary Harley reports: Sydney jockey Brenton Avdulla has a full book at the Cessnock meeting at Broadmeadow on Tuesday, and all six are trained by Kris Lees.

The most interesting of Avdulla's rides is Glowing Red, a three-year-old half-sister to two-time group 1 winner In Her Time. She was the TAB second favourite at $4.40 in the maiden plate (1200m).

The filly debuted at Gosford on November 10 with apprentice Tom Sherry aboard. She was slowly away but improved along the rail to settle in fourth. Sherry steered Glowing Red around the leader at the top of the straight and she looked the winner, only to be run down late by less than half a length. That experience and the extra 200m on Tuesday are positives in a competitive race.

Avdulla has two other well-fancied mounts - No Laughing Matter ($3.80) in the class 1 handicap (1200m) and Berruti in the benchmark 58 handicap (1350m).

With Bat Pad an unlikely starter after racing at Gosford on Saturday, No Laughing Matter could end up a short-priced favourite. The filly was an easy Wyong trial winner on November 11.

Berruti is bred in the purple and boasts group 1-winning half-brothers in Deep Field and Shooting To Win. He has had four starts for a win and a second, starting the punters' elect each time. He should be hard to beat from the rails barrier.

Lees, who has accepted with 14 of his team, has booked the in-form Aaron Bullock to ride short-priced favourite Ciao Uno ($1.80) in the final event, the benchmark 58 Handicap over 1200m.

The filly has had five starts for a win and three placings. First-up at Port Macquarie on October 25, she won her maiden by five and a half lengths. Ciao Uno was then beaten half a length at her last start on the same track.

Bullock rode three winners at Quirindi on Sunday to take his season tally to 42. An interesting ride for Bullock is three-year-old gelding Lumber Dream in the 1350m maiden. Trained by Lees for Queensland clients Ron and Judy Wanless, Lumber Dream is the son of the owners' crackerjack mare, Lights Of Heaven, a multiple group-winning daughter of Zabeel.

He is on debut after three trials, including one over 1000m at Gosford five weeks ago when beaten 2.7 lengths in a competitive hit-out. He has blinkers on.

The Newcastle Jockey Club will hold its annual Legends' Race Day on Sunday, November 29.