Newcastle club keen for more city racing on all-weather track

Provincial and city meetings have been transferred to the all-weather course proper at Newcastle Racecourse in recent years, generating millions of dollars in revenue which would have been lost to the industry because of washouts. This winter three meetings, including Gosford's city-level The Coast program, have been moved to Newcastle.

The NJC have one annual city program, November's The Hunter day, but many have called for the provincial track to be used for more metropolitan cards in the winter to ease the strain on inferior Sydney surfaces.

Newcastle meanwhile still hosts each season eight country programs, which were transferred from Cessnock following that course's sale to Racing NSW in 2020. NJC chief executive Duane Dowell said a move away from country meetings was "definitely in view" but "the status quo remains" amid talks with Racing NSW.

"We'll continue to run eight Wine Country meetings, they are in the schedule for next year, but we are probably at a time where we would love to assist the ATC [Australian Turf Club] if there's opportunities to take on more metro meetings. We'd definitely be open to that," Dowell said.

"If that was in lieu of some of those Wine Country meetings, then that would be even better, but that's ongoing."

Dowell said the club had picked up a Gosford meeting in September, while that track undergoes work, but the normal allotment of 35 provincial and eight country meetings otherwise remained for next season.

At Muswellbrook on Monday, Cessnock trainer Wendy Platts (Rebellion Style) and Taree apprentice Leanne Boyd (Lake Mac Lily) had their first winners.

Rebellion Style won a 1280m maiden handicap with a finish down the outside, while Boyd rode $101 shot Lake Mac Lily along the rails to victory from last in the 1280m benchmark 58 handicap for trainer Matt Robinson.

Maitland reinsman Dan Morgan broke droughts for Three Smoochas and Tafl Move with a winning double at Newcastle Paceway on Monday.

Morgan drove Three Smoochas ($3.30), trained by his father, Paul, to the front from gate seven in race one.

The six-year-old mare kept the lead then withstood a late surge from Bryce Greenwood-trained Noworries to prevail by a half-head. It was her first win since May last year, also at Newcastle.

Two races later, Morgan took the sit behind the leader from gate one on Denman trainer Kevin Warby's Tafl Move ($12).

Morgan then squeezed the five-year-old gelding around runners and into the clear on the home turn and he hit the front before holding out favourite Double Lines by 1.2 metres.

It was Tafl Move's first win since March 2022 and just his second in 27 starts.