Racing: Tavi Time lives up to hype, Scone mare hits back, Formosa eyes Menangle feature

Trained by Kris Lees, who has prepared five of the nine series winners, Tavi Time is clearly the stable's No.1 seed for the 2024 edition and he firmed from the $4.50 championship favourite into $2.80 with Saturday's victory.

The New Zealand-bred gelding's TAB Fixed Odds price for the qualifier tumbled into $1.35 on Saturday.

Aaron Bullock, who rode Tavi Time in his previous start when he won the Mudgee Cup by 6.58 lengths on December 1, had the mount again.

The NSW jockeys' premiership leader was trapped three wide in the initial 500 metres before landing in a perfect spot, one out and one back at the 900m mark.

Bullock gave the favourite full rein halfway down the straight and he sprinted away to win eased down by four lengths from Paul Perry's Nosey Parker ($9), which also qualified for the rich final.

"Aaron gave him a perfect ride and the horse produced a good turn of foot when let rip," Lees told Sky Racing.

"The final is not for five weeks so I will see how he pulls up and decide if he has another start before the final or go in fresh.

"I have another couple of nice horses heading to the Hawkesbury qualifier next week."

Bullock had a busy day as he rode Perennial into second place in race two, a Highway Handicap, at Randwick before heading back to Newcasrle to partner Tavi Time in the last.

Apprentice Zac Wadick landed a double in successive races, continuing his run of form since returning to Sydney after a stint at Taree.

Wadick will never ride an easier winner than $1.35 chance Wymark, which claimed the midway class 1 and maiden plate (1850m) by 9.42 lengths in a track record time of 1:52.42.

The three-year-old son of leading New Zealand sire Savabeel is a promising stayer trained by Michael Freedman and has won his past two starts at Newcastle.

Wymark had a lovely run in third place and Wadick let him race past the tearaway leader on the home turn and he cruised to the line untouched.

In the previous race, a 900m benchmark 68 handicap, Wadick settled $5.50 chance Akaka Falls in midfield before the six-year-old finished strong to win by 1.1 lengths. The winner is trained by the apprentice's boss, Brad Widdup.

Former champion Sydney trainer Neville Begg, who was inducted into the Newcastle and Hunter Racing Hall of Fame last May, bred and owns Mr Midnight, which won on debut in the 900m maiden handicap.

Trained by Begg's good mate, Ron Quinton, the three-year-old had been travelling well at Randwick.

Quinton's former apprentice, Andrew Adkins, rode the gelding a treat, settling Mr Midnight behind the speed before he sprinted quickly in the straight to win impressively.

Saturday's race meeting was the first supported by businesses from Dungog and was a huge success.

The Newcastle Jockey Club had sold 4000 tickets two days prior, and the dance party for 18-25 year olds attracted more than 3000 people.

Craig Kerry reports:

Brett Cavanough-trained mare Once Again My Girl returned from a bleeding attack to lead in a Scone quinella in the Highway Handicap at Randwick on Saturday.

The four-year-old was resuming from an enforced spell after a bleeding episode when second at Muswellbrook on October 2 last year.

After a successful trial at Scone on February 14, Once Again My Girl was sent out a $4.40 chance in the class 3 1000m Highway, where jockey Jason Collett settled her on the rails behind the leading bunch from a start in gate two.

She had work to do to run down leader Bomarea in the straight and she sprinted well to hit the front with 50m to go.

Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich-trained Perennial also challenged late but Once Again My Girl held on for a 0.29-length win.

Once Again My Girl won her first two starts at Scone before finishing seventh there in the listed Denise's Joy. A second to Derry Grove in a Randwick Highway followed before the setback at Muswellbrook.

Saturday's performance was a relief for Cavanough, who was now looking to stakes targets.

"It's just good to get her back," Cavanough said.

"She's a bonny little mare. She's run time again.

"Ultimately, we'd like to get her to a bit of black type as quick as we can, knowing her history, but we'll just see how she rates at the end of the day and go from there."

"Jason just gives me a little bit of a heart palpitation when he goes back on them, but we've got a really good strike rate together and it's good to have him back in the team.

"I said let fast horses be fast and he screwed his face up and said I'll do this and that, but he gets the result and that's all that matters."

Michael Formosa will lift the bar for exciting colt Ultimate Cruza in the $50,000 Sapling Stakes at Menangle on Miracle Mile night after his brilliant victory in the inaugural Tommy Reay Sapling Memorial at Newcastle on Friday night.

Ultimate Cruza was a $2.50 favourite for the two-year-olds' feature after his dominant heat win but he faced a second line start in the $20,400 final.

His Ellalong trainer-driver took him forward three wide from the rear soon after they settled but he was caught three wide for more than half a lap before sitting outside leader and stablemate Syncopated Shuffle.

Despite the tough run, Ultimate Cruza kicked clear on the home turn and won by 8.3 metres from Spicyshannon in a mile of 1:55:9.

Formosa knew Ultimate Cruza was talented but even he was impressed with the ease of his win in tough circumstances.

"He's a pretty good horse," Formosa said.

"I was a little bit worried when the roughies decided to kick up underneath me and make life hard. Even when the other horse came quick, he sort of got a head in front of him and he didn't know what to do, but once he took off, he exploded away from them.

"He probably surprised me a little bit, after doing a little bit of work and still running away from them, but in saying that, I expected him to keep improving.

"It's good to know he's still on the way up."

He hoped to head to Menangle for the Sapling Stakes on Saturday night before targetting the Gold Crown at Bathurst.

"There's a couple of horses out of Bathurst and Sydney that go all right so it will definitely be a high-quality race and we'll definitely know what we've got after that," he said.

Formosa has one drive, Beersinmypocket in race seven, at Newcastle on Monday.

"He trialled good last week," he said.

"He's coming up against a good one tomorrow in Always Be Chaps but he should go OK."

Colonial Custard made a timely return to winning ways for Greta trainers Michelle and Mick Lill at Wentworth Park.

The Zipping Garth dog had won eight of 12 starts at Maitland before clipping heels and running wide late to finish third in a heat of a Maitland to Wenty series last start. It was still enough to make the $6000-to-the-winner final (520m) on Saturday night, where he started brilliantly to lead from box six to set up a 0.75 of a length victory.

"He can only get better,'' Mick Lill told thedogs.com.au. "Colonial Custard is a nice dog and a pretty reliable beginner, but I also like the way he got to the line.''

Susan Smith's My Hepburn was third in the Richmond Oaks final on Friday night behind Shanghai Suzie and Akii Princess.

Maitland has a 12-race card from 6.44pm tonight.