JOSH Parr has been given his chance to end a 16-year “drought” in feature races at Newcastle.
Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees on Tuesday afternoon confirmed he has retained Central Coast-based Parr for his sole representative Luncies in the $300,000 Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) on Friday.
Parr has ridden the eight-year-old gelding at both his starts since returning from a Queensland and Northern Rivers winter campaign.
Following an eighth in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury on August 22 – his first outing since the Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) on July 17 when fourth to Melbourne mare Deny Knowledge – Luncies nearly caused an upset at $20 when a close second to Lion’s Roar in the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) on September 6.
Prior to those two runs, Parr had ridden Luncies only once previously when he won a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m) on the gelding at the Hawkesbury Saturday stand-alone meeting in 2021.
Luncies carried 58.5kg at Wyong and has been given the same weight in the Newcastle Cup, where only 10 horses have been entered pending acceptances on Wednesday morning.
Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire and stablemate Duke De Sessa were originally nominated, but withdrawn before weights were issued.
Parr won the 2008 Group 3 1400m Newcastle Classic (then Newmarket Handicap) on Falaise for Sydney trainer Peter Snowden.
New Zealand six-year-old Trust In You, trained jointly by Bruce Wallace and former jockey Grant Cooksley, is topweight with 59kg.
Whilst Lees will have only Luncies in his bid to win his hometown Cup for a second time after breaking through with Mugatoo (Kerrin McEvoy) in 2020, he will have a bigger contingent contesting the $250,000 Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) on Friday.
Loch Eagle and Ucalledit (both 57kg), along with Kinloch (54.5kg) all will take their places, with stablemate and this year’s all-the-way Newcastle Classic winner Rustic Steel going to the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) on resumption at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Lees nominated both Hellavadancer and Miss Busslinger for the $250,000 Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m), but will run only the former.
Lees’ focus also will be on Saturday’s Randwick meeting where he has decided to run both his latest Group 1 winner Kalapour and import Adelaide River in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).
“I did nominate Adelaide River also for the $1m wfa 7Stakes (1600m) at Randwick, but he is going to the longer race,” he said.
“Dylan Gibbons will ride Adelaide River, and as of Tuesday afternoon I haven’t confirmed Kalapour’s rider.”
Both horses are part of Lees’ four entries for the Caulfield (2400m) and Melbourne (3200m) Cups, for which weights were released on Tuesday.
Kalapour and Adelaide River have 55kg and 53kg respectively in both races, whilst Cleveland and Changingoftheguard each have 52kg in both.
Story John Curtis, September 17, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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