Australia Day brings out best of Newfoundland
UK import fell off radar after Adelaide Cup second, now looks primed for another crack
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Newfoundland (Tim Clark) scoring a gutsy win from Age Of Sail (Tyler Schiller) in the Listed Australia Day Cup (2,400m) at Warwick Farm on Jan 26.
PHOTO: Racing And Sports
SYDNEY – It may have taken 467 days, but trainer Adrian Bott was pleased to see former import Newfoundland finally find the winning post in the A$200,000 (S$175,000) Listed Australia Day Cup (2,400m) at Warwick Farm on Australia Day on Jan 26, albeit narrowly.
The son of Japanese sire Deep Impact made enough of an impression during his short career in Ireland to see the likes of Lloyd and Nick Williams bringing him to Australia on a Cups path.
Boasting one win at Navan, Ireland when then racing under the powerful Aidan O’Brien-Coolmore flagship, the gelding did not take long to stamp his authority in Australia for the seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning outfit.
In the famous navy blue and white armbands silks, he landed two consecutive wins over 2,400m in Rosehill and Warwick Farm in October 2024.
While they may not have pulled off winning the Group 1 Adelaide Cup (3,200m) in 2025 when finishing second to Silent Surrente, this victory sets the seven-year-old up to try again in March.
This second-up outing followed a fifth placing at Randwick over 2,000m on Dec 27.
“He’s been a very honest horse for us and connections, and it is great to see him winning again,” said Bott, who trains in partnership with Australia’s premier lady trainer Gai Waterhouse.
“His first-up run was short of his best and that was a month ago. He seems to do well with his races spaced.
“There’s not too much of him condition-wise but he seems to appreciate that. Once he can get over a bit of ground, he needs the right races and the right conditions. We’re picking our mark and today looked to be a lovely target for him.
“The Adelaide Cup has been the long-term plan for him and he ran very well in it last year and was even a tough unlucky. He seems to have matured a bit and improved this time around.”
While race favourite Future History (Adam Hyeronimus) led but faded in the home straight, Newfoundland ($20) – ridden by Tim Clark – toughed it out to score by a nose margin over Age Of Sail (Tyler Schiller) with Elliptical (Andrew Adkins) another 1¼ lengths away in third.
The 2026 renewal of the Adelaide Cup takes place at Morphettville on March 9. SKY RACING WORLD
