Paul Perry took the training honours on the second day of Newcastle Jockey Club's spring carnival on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Perry-trained Florida Sky and Mr Trackside landed hefty plunges in successive races on their home track.
Newcastle's premier jockey, Aaron Bullock, was aboard four-year-old mare Florida Sky, backed from $3.80 into $3 in the provincial benchmark 64 handicap (900 metres).
She was given a gun run behind the speed and was steered into the clear at the top of the straight. Florida Sky held off the challengers late to win by almost half a length from Kris Lees-trained Zanzibar Gem. Another Newcastle galloper, Pat Cleave-prepared Omar, was third.
Florida Sky was an impressive barrier trial winner on the Beaumont track this month and she has a good first-up record.
In the next race, the midway maiden plate (900m), Mr Trackside was backed from double-figure odds into $4.60.
The colt had been unplaced in four previous starts but he was resuming from a spell and was narrowly beaten in a recent trial.
Jess Taylor rode the three-year-old on Saturday and after racing in third place, it took him a while to hit top gear in the straight. However, he sprouted wings late to win by 0.71 of a length.
It was part of a successful day for Newcastle trainers as David Atkins and Lees prepared the last two winners.
Five-year-old Terrameades, raced by Australian Bloodstock and trained by Lees, provided Bullock with the second of a winning double when she took out the benchmark 64 handicap (1250m) by a nose from Eyeque.
She raced better than midfield before Bullock let her stride up three wide outside the leaders on the home turn.
Terrameades had to fight hard all the way down the straight as there were many challengers. It was her fifth win and took her prizemoney earned to $139,975.
Atkins-trained Two Up won his first race since November 2021 when he claimed the final event, the 1500m benchmark 64 handicap. Keagan Latham was the star of the jockeys' room on Saturday with three victories and he put Two Up in a winning position from the outset. The seven-year-old then raced away to a 2.56-length victory.
The late Alan Scorse was Two Up's original trainer before he went to Allan Denham and won his maiden at Scone in 2019. He then went to Atkins and has since won five times.
Left Field had to only repeat her autumn form to be a good thing in the fillies and mares maiden plate (1250m). Amazingly, she drifted to $2.05 in betting, but after settling midfield, she bullocked her way into the clear and hit the line hard for a length win.
MORE IN SPORT:
