King Frankel dominates The Beauford at Newcastle on Hunter day

A scratching after becoming fractious in the barriers at Rosehill last week, King Frankel showed no ill-effects and justified his $3.30 favouritism in the seven-horse affair.

The Mark Newnham-trained Irish-bred import, a son of champion sire Frankel, led from the outset under Tyler Schiller and controlled the race before kicking clear in the straight for a two and a half lengths win. He raced home in 33.62 seconds for the last 600m. Chris Waller-trained Kukeracha was second.

Local hope Our Candidate was fifth. Waller-trained Chalk Stream was a late scratching after rearing in the gates.

It was a third win in four Australian starts for King Frankel, which won by five lengths on debut at Newcastle over 1850m on September 24.

"He's made massive improvement from his last start," Schiller said.

"He's had a big gap between runs because of his mishap at Rosehill, but it doesn't seem to phase him. He just keeps doing his work and improving, and he was a lot better today in front than he was at Warwick Farm.

To see him put them away like that, it shows he's come along in leaps and bounds and hopefully a little bit more to come."

The inaugural running of The Beauford was won by the Lauri Parker-trained, Jenny Duggan-ridden Torrens last year.

Schiller made it a double when Greg Hickman-trained Rondino lifted late to beat Global Ausbred and Criaderas in the Alf Kneebone Trans-Tasman Trophy, a benchmark 88 handicap over 1850m.

In the opening race on Saturday, the Max Lees Classic (900m) for two-year-olds, the Brad Widdup-trained Fire Lane won a head-bobbing finish with Godolphin race favourite Cylinders.

Top Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, chasing a first win in his late father's race, had mixed fortunes. Tracy's Spirit ran well for fourth, but Bangetta flipped over behind the gates, injuring jockey Brenton Avdulla, and was a late scratching.

Avdulla limped away from the incident but did not ride at the meeting and went to hospital for an assessment.

Jason Collett also rode an early double, taking Ten Bells and Knife's Edge to victory.