Gosford Cup: Greysful Glamour out to lead rivals a merry dance at Randwick

There’s not much Mark Newnham has to worry about when Greysful Glamour goes to the gates on race day.

She only gets beat if something else is better than her on the day and she always gives herself every hope when the gates fly.

She comes into Saturday’s $200,000 Listed Gosford Cup off a second placing in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) and before that was third in the Group 3 Epona Stakes (1900m). She’s been saved for this after being scratched when favourite for the Wagga Wagga Cup last week and she’s rated a $4.20 favourite.

“She’s in the same sort of form she was in leading up to her last start,” Newnham said.

“She goes from a Group 3 back to Listed grade and there’s probably not much difference in the quality of the race. She does go up 2kg but she’s in really good order.

“We’re getting warm days leading up to the race so she should get a Good rated track.”

Newnham’s four-year-old mare isn’t just easy to spot because she’s a grey, but she’ll be out there dictating the race with Rachel King on board.

“She’ll bowl along from in front and be hard to get past. The wide gate won’t worry her because she jumps very quickly and has good early speed so that will look after itself,” Newnham said.

“Rachel gets along well with her and she’ll let her roll along. She’s not the sort of horse that you go too slowly on in front. She needs to go at a generous enough gallop and not sit-and-sprint.

“It’s certainly a winnable race. It’s no stronger than the race she just got pipped in last start and she’ll get out and make her own luck.

“You need something going really well to beat her and she’ll give them something to catch.”

Newnham’s other main hope on the card is the battle-hardened Gone Bye in a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m).

He’s coming off a courageous second placing last weekend when he got caught in a speed battle up front and was vulnerable late.

“It was a shame to see him beaten,” Newnham said. “He did all the work and the horse that had the soft run (Yonkers) nailed him on the line but that’s racing. He’s done well during the week, otherwise I would be backing him up and this is his right sort of trip.”

This time Robbie Dolan will look to settle Gone Bye just in behind the leaders which will make him even stronger through the line and he’s rated as an $6.50 chance behind the likes of Bottega ($3) and Loveseat ($4.20).

“There might be more pressure on paper in this race and he doesn’t have to lead but will be in the first four,” Newnham said.

“I like him as a horse, he’s quite promising. His only bad run was in the Frank Packer Plate which was my fault because I got him up to 2000m too quickly.

“I wanted him to go into that race fourth-up but two meetings got called off in the lead up which is why he missed having an extra run. It toughened him up and he was able to withstand a lot of pressure last start so I’ve got no fitness concerns this week.”

Blazing Miss has to beat Adelong, Lashes and Lesage if she’s to win the third race on the card earlier in the day and she was just 2 ½ lengths off two of those horses first-up.

“She’s improved quite a bit from her first-up run. She’s more switched on,” Newnham said.

“The gate (10) is tricky and Robbie (Dolan) need to be pretty sharp out of the gates on her and get her into a forward position which is where she races best.

“She got into an awful spot last start when three-deep so I thought she did well to hold on up the straight.”

“I’ve had a ride on her last Friday and I was more than happy with her.”

Celestial Falls is the other Newnham runner on the card and she’s first-up over 1400m in the fourth race after a 26-week spell and two trials over 1200m and is an $11 hope.

“She’s taken quite a while to get fit but I’m happy enough with her now to go to the races and she’ll improve again,” Newnham said.

“She’s a half to Greysful Glamour so I think she’s a mile to 2000m type of filly and I want to get her up to Queensland for some black-type races.”