Kris Lees’ Group 1 winner Le Romain is the headline nomination for the Cameron Handicap 2016 at Newcastle Racecourse this Friday on Newcastle Gold Cup Day.
Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain is nominated for Newcastle’s 2016 Cameron Handicap this Friday. Photo: Steve Hart.
On Monday Racing NSW took early entries for all the Cup Day races including a bumper 20 nominations for this season’s $150,000 Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1350m).
The highest-rated of the hopefuls and the 59kg headliner in the Cameron Handicap weights is Le Romain for star local horseman Lees.
The four-year-old son of Hard Spun is best known for his Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) victory back in March during the autumn.
He has had two good runs this time in both at Randwick finishing runner-up to Tycoon Tara in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m) and second again on September 3 to Hauraki in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m).
The other highest weighted Cameron Handicap nominee with 57.5kg is the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Charlie Boy.
The six-year-old hasn’t raced since his eighth to Under The Louvre in Brisbane’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 11, before which he ran third to Music Magnate defeated under a length in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m).
Charlie Boy has had two subsequent trials and has a decent first-up record of three wins, a second and a third from seven resuming runs to date.
Following in the Cameron Handicap weights this spring are Smart Volatility (57kg) who leads the ballot and the Noel Mayfield-Smith-trained Famous Seamus (57kg).
John Sargent’s Danewin eight-year-old Smart Volatility won the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton in the winter, but is out to improve on his first-up eighth to Sooboog at Flemington on August 6 in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m).
Famous Seamus is also a veteran eight-year-old coming off an eighth when 6.5 lengths off the winner in the Show County Quality from August 20, the galloper chasing his first win since the Group 3 Heffernan Stakes (1300m) at Sandown in mid-November last year.
Sydney’s record breaking trainer Chris Waller dominates the Cameron Handicap nominations numbers wise with five entries including his Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) winner from last October Vanbrugh.
Vanbrugh comes off a first-up fifth to star stablemate Winx in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m), but is yet to place in three previous second-up runs.
Waller’s other nominees are Sadler’s Lake, Cosmic Cube, Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) winning Dane Shadow mare Tsaritsa and Torgersen.
Coming off back-to-back thirds in Group company in Sydney is the Allan Denham-trained Dubawi seven-year-old Mount Nebo who ran third in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) and Show County behind Tycoon Tara.
Also in good form this time in are the likes of the Matthew Dale-trained Penny Edition Stakes winner in Adelaide Rocket Commander who has a strong record over Friday’s distance (11-5-2-1) and the undefeated Kristen Buchanan-trained Echo Effect who is last on the ballot.
See below for the full Cameron Handicap 2016 nominations, weights and ballot before the field and barriers are released on Wednesday followed by markets at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2016 Cameron Handicap Nominations & Weights
Newcastle Racecourse – 16/09/2016
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Ballot | Wgt. | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 362x70x718 | SMART VOLATILITY | G | 8 | John Sargent | 1 | 57kg | 104 |
| 2 | 2x12217x22 | LE ROMAIN | G | 4 | Kris Lees | 2 | 59kg | 108 |
| 3 | 600x16038x | CHARLIE BOY | G | 6 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 3 | 57.5kg | 105 |
| 4 | 761x0007x8 | FAMOUS SEAMUS (NZ) | G | 8 | Noel Mayfield-Smith | 4 | 57kg | 104 |
| 5 | 947x400x27 | SADLER’S LAKE | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 5 | 55.5kg | 101 |
| 6 | 57x3x12x68 | COSMIC CUBE (NZ) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 6 | 55kg | 100 |
| 7 | 111x0649x5 | VANBRUGH | H | 4 | Chris Waller | 7 | 54.5kg | 99 |
| 8 | 990×215533 | MOUNT NEBO | G | 7 | Allan Denham | 8 | 54kg | 94 |
| 9 | 4517121×17 | TESTASHADOW | G | 5 | Gary Portelli | 9= | 54kg | 92 |
| 10 | 612x1113x3 | TSARITSA | M | 4 | Chris Waller | 9= | 54kg | 92 |
| 11 | 5900902657 | DECISION TIME | G | 9 | Clarry Conners | 11= | 54kg | 90 |
| 12 | 6622333×31 | ROCKET COMMANDER | M | 5 | Matthew Dale | 11= | 54kg | 90 |
| 13 | 20x1232x15 | HIS MAJESTY (IRE) | G | 7 | Kim Waugh | 13 | 54kg | 86 |
| 14 | x887203x52 | TORGERSEN (NZ) | H | 4 | Chris Waller | 14 | 54kg | 84 |
| 15 | 133×11 | CHETWOOD | G | 4 | John O’Shea | 15= | 54kg | 82 |
| 16 | 22x11414x3 | HANDFAST | G | 4 | John O’Shea | 15= | 54kg | 82 |
| 17 | 40x130x425 | SNOOPY | G | 4 | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 17 | 54kg | 81 |
| 18 | 22831168x | NO PUSHOVER (NZ) | M | 4 | Craig Ritchie | 18 | 54kg | 72 |
| 19 | 2211x2120x | ROYAL TUDOR | G | 4 | Rodney Ollerton | 19 | 54kg | 71 |
| 20 | 111 | ECHO EFFECT | G | 3 | Kristen Buchanan | 20 | 54kg | 67 |
