In Brief
- Misdemeanour causes Newitt one-meeting ban.
- Sunday's double keeps the century within reach.
- Newitt closing in on $2 million in prize money earned.
A one-meeting suspension arising from Sunday’s Devonport meeting could prevent jockey Craig Newitt from achieving his goal of riding 100 winners for the season.
While Newitt snared a double on Sunday to take his tally to 92 he will have only four meetings at which to ride the eight winners to reach the milestone that has only been achieved by two other riders – Bev Buckingham and Brendon McCoull.
Newitt copped the one-meeting ban for overuse of the whip aboard the John Blacker-trained Blackberry Rose that finished second to Luna Sky in an 1880-metre maiden-class one.
However, the rider responded by winning aboard Blacker’s four-year-old Snippety Cat in a maiden over 1350m and he teamed up with the in-form Balearic to win a benchmark 83 handicap over 1350m.
It was Balearic’s first start for the Leanne Gaffney stable having been transferred out of the care of Barry Campbell who was last week disqualified for three years by South Australian stewards over an incident involving Eastender in Adelaide in March.
“I know it’s only eight more wins to reach the century but the suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time in terms of trying to reach the 100 winners for the season,” Newitt said.
“But it is what it is and I’ll just have to hope I can get on the right horses at the remaining four meetings to achieve the goal.”
Newitt has won the past two Tasmanian premierships with last year’s win achieved with 78 winners to defeat Siggy Carr by 24.
But this season Newitt has dominated as he leads Carr by 41 and he has won for owners $1.9 million in prize money.
Carr may have ridden a lot fewer winners but her wins and minor placegetters have accrued prizemoney of $1.3 million with her biggest success coming aboard the Scott Brunton-trained The Inevitable in the Group 3 $160,000 C. S. Hayes at Flemington in February.
Carr also partnered the same horse to victory in the $100,000 Tasmanian Guineas.
Newitt partnered Eastender to clean up the state’s three major cups (Devonport, Hobart and Launceston) that counted for $360,000 of his total prize money earned.
Watch Craig Newitt win aboard Balearic in Devonport on Sunday: