In-form mare Essence Of Success is favoured to give Gai Waterhouse her fifth Newcastle Gold Cup win in 15 years at Broadmeadow on Thursday.
Essence Of Success, a last start second in the Wyong Gold Cup, heads early TAB Sportsbet market at $4.60.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The five-year-old will again be ridden by Queensland-based Chris Munce, who rated the mare unlucky from a wide barrier at Wyong where she finished second to Chris Walller's tough stayer The Verminator.
Waterhouse recorded her fourth win in the Newcastle Cup last year with Stratofortress after earlier wins with Emerald Cut (1997), Agincourt Express (2001) and Bianca (2008).
While her Newcastle Cup record is imposing it still pales beside the success her late father Tommy Smith enjoyed in the race. Smith won the Newcastle Cup eight times.
Essence Of Success will again have to contend with a wide gate in her rematch with The Verminator at Broadmeadow. She has barrier 14 while The Verminator (Glyn Schofield) has barrier nine.
The Verminator, the $5 second favourite, and Essence Of Success met on level terms in the Wyong Cup but Waterhouse's mare stays on 53kg on Wednesday while her rival goes up 2kg to 55kg.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Victorian stayer Green Moon is at $7 but there is a doubt about him making the trip to Newcastle after the last start Flemington placegetter drew the outside barrier 17.
Brisbane trainer Brian Smith, winner of the 2008 Newcastle Cup with Bikkie Tin Blues, is brining Brisbane jockeys Jim Byrne and Ric McMahon to Broadmeadow to ride his runners Hume and Raeburn.
Hume and Raeburn have been stabled at Newcastle since they finished unplaced in the Wyong Cup on September 2.
