A stakes race in April is the likely reward Mark Newnham has in mind for promising three-year-olds Cool Jakey and Street Gossip if they perform to the trainer’s hopes at Kensington on Wednesday.
Unfortunately the stablemates will oppose each other in the Arrowfield – A Tradition Of Greatness Handicap (1400m) so they're unlikely to both win but Mark Newnham sees promise in the pair.
Cool Jakey is unbeaten in two starts and Newnham said he's done a great job to achieve that feat, winning at Warwick Farm on debut then backing it up at Newcastle two weeks ago, given he's had issues that meant he didn't contest his first trial until January.
"This is his first preparation we've had him up and galloping so I'm surprised he's come along this far,'' Newnham said.
"He keeps improving and is a very laid back sort of horse who doesn't give much away in his work. You put him in competition and he's a different animal.
"I haven't raced him in blinkers yet and I know in his work he's got a little bit more there for when we need them."
Group 1 winning apprentice Tyler Schiller has been on board in both starts to date, and retains the ride, and Newnham said a wide draw isn't a great concern for the gelding given he has an on-pace racing pattern.
A race like the Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) on April 8 is in the trainer's mind for Cool Jakey, $4.60 with TAB on Tuesday, while stablemate Street Gossip ($10) is on trial for a potential shot at the Group 3 James Carr Stakes (1400m) a week later.
Street Gossip signalled she was in for a handy prep with a first-up placing at Canterbury and Newnham is very forgiving of her ninth of 10 at Warwick Farm last Wednesday.
"If you look at last week she just never got a clear run at all so she went to the line untested. The back up won't bother her,'' he said.
"I was hoping to get her through to something through the carnival, maybe the James Carr, and I was hoping that would be off the back of a win last Wednesday."
Newnham is happy to kick off Shadow Vampire's prep with one trial under his belt in the Exceedance's First Yearlings Handicap (1000m) given the small field of six.
The three-year-old collected three straight wins over the short course within 22 days in November and ran third behind Lost And Running in his trial on March 7.
"He's a real 1000m horse because he likes to sit off them and conserve energy and he's got a good 300-400m,'' Newnham said.
"It's a good draw, small field, and it's probably better than going to a trial.
"He's not completely wound up but with his racing style, and these races aren't on very often, we might as well be going around and earning prizemoney."
