Racing wrap: Newcastle Herald back on board with The Hunter

The $1 million The Hunter was first run under the Newcastle Herald banner last year when won by Joe Pride-trained Coal Crusher with a front-running ride from Tyler Schiller.

Approaching the sixth edition of the 1300m race, Racing NSW and the Newcastle Herald have agreed in principle to terms on a renewed deal.

Newcastle Jockey Club chief Duane Dowell said he had already started engaging with the Newcastle Herald about the 2024 event.

"It was pretty late notice last year and we did amazing work to achieve the things we were able to," Dowell said. "Now we've got some plans in place and are working towards The Hunter with the Herald. With more time now, we can go even bigger and better."

The Newcastle Herald Hunter is the headline race on the standalone city-level Saturday program which also features the group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) for three-year-olds, the $300,000 The Beauford (2300m) and the Max Lees Classic (900m) for two-year-olds. This year naming rights for those support races will be allocated to businesses through the new Hunter Club program, which will be launched at a gala dinner at Newcastle Racecourse on Friday night.

The Hunter Club consists of 20 businesses, who have paid $9900 each to join. Each will be drawn a feature race to carry their name on one of the NJC's premier races days.

"The Hunter Club has been a huge success, we got our 20 businesses and we did have a bit of a waiting list as well," Dowell said.

"The added benefit to this is that each Hunter Club member has industry exclusivity in that we have one lawyer, one financial firm, one insurance broker etc, so there's no competing businesses in the same space."

** Michael Freedman was a dual winner at Newcastle when premierships and medalists were decided following the NJC's final meeting of the season on July 16.

The Randwick trainer claimed the Newcastle premiership with 17 winners and also the Max Lees Medal. The medal is awarded to the trainer with the best winning strike rate at the track, and Freedman finished on top with 2.65.

Jean Van Overmeire led jockeys with 23 winners but Newcastle's Aaron Bullock took the Bill Wade Medal with a strike rate of 4.1. Anna Roper and Zac Waddick were the top apprentices with nine wins.

Kris Lees-trained Kalapour will be Newcastle horse of the year after his group 1 Tancred Stakes win. He also won the group 3 Archer Stakes to qualify for the Melbourne Cup and was third in the group 1 Metropolitan and Sydney Cup.

** The NJC is searching for a new racing operations supervisor after David Dyson's decision to become trainer Nathan Doyle's racing manager.

HARNESS RACING: Sawyers Gully trainer Adam Ruggari hopes a return to Newcastle and nice draw will help Peter Forsberg return to the winners' circle on Friday night.

Peter Forsberg won his past two starts at Newcastle, including an up to 58 ratings Waratah Series heat, before finishing fourth in the final at Menangle. He was then third from a second-line start at Tamworth last start. He has gate one in the up to 62 Waratah heat, which is race three.

"Going to Menangle, he hadn't raced for a few weeks and needed the run," Ruggari said. "At Tamworth he lobbed three-fence, they went a really slow quarter and he was left flat-footed. But back to Newcastle he should be able to use his gate speed and be in front most of the way."

Ruggari will be closely watching Albion Park's meeting on Saturday night as Saifa contests the group 1 Queensland Derby.

Ruggari trained Saifa after it came from New Zealand. He took it to Queensland, where he won at Redcliffe then was eighth in the derby there. He has since handed Saifa over to Jason Grimson and returned home.

Saifa has drawn the inside gate on the second line for the Queensland Derby.

"He's got a few quirks, as everyone has seen, he hangs bad but last week was probably the best run he has produced," Ruggari said of his third in The JC McMullen.

GREYHOUNDS: Meredith Verhagen believes Red Light Roxy can keep her run of success going at The Gardens on Friday.

The Raymond Terrace trainer had a winning double at the track on Wednesday in maidens with Midnight Hip Hop and Buck's Knight. That came after a treble then double at Muswellbrook in recent weeks. Red Light Roxy has box eight in race 12 (400m).

"She does like the inside but if she can jump like she usually does, gets out in front, she should go all right," Verhagen said.

"It's just a tricky turn from the 400 boxes but if she jumps, I think it will suit her out wide."