Premier jockey James McDonald quipped that he may have locked in his Melbourne Cup ride too soon after guiding the Chris Waller-trained Durston to a commanding victory in the Newcastle Cup (2300m) on Friday.
McDonald, who scored his first Melbourne Cup win last year aboard Verry Elleegant, sat Durston ($4.20) back in the seven-horse field before waiting patiently for a rails run in the straight.
The seven-year-old Great Britain gelding did the rest, powering to a three and a half-length win from early leader Carif in the group 3 $250,000 race to complete the Wyong-Newcastle cups double. Arapaho was third.
It was McDonald's first Newcastle Cup win but Waller's fifth in the past eight years. It also gave McDonald a treble on the program.
"He's a really nice horse," said McDonald, who this week locked in German raider Loft as his Melbourne Cup ride.
"Obviously he had the writing on the wall at Wyong, but his work on Tuesday was really glowing, so he hadn't gone backwards, if not gone forward.
"I was pretty excited to come here and ride him today because I thought he'd be very hard to beat.
"He gets you out of trouble because he's got a good turn of foot.
"He's a real progressive horse ... I might have locked in too early.
"He's very nice, especially on good ground. I think that's been the key to him."
The Cameron Handicap (1500m) victory of Wild Chap was a comeback story for trainer and former Newcastle Greyhounds chairman Brett Lazzarini.
Former Scone-based apprentice Reece Jones took Wild Chap ($6.50) along the fence and the six-year-old edged out the Kris Lees-trained Luncies on the line to claim the $200,000 group 3 race. Godolphin hope Character was less than a length away in third.
Kembla Grange trainer Lazzarini said he'd had bigger victories, more than 25 years ago in his first stint as a trainer, but the Cameron runner was his first shot at a group race since returning to the profession about two and a half years ago.
He was now eyeing the $1 million The Gong at his home track with Wild Chap.
Overnight rain left the Newcastle track a heavy 8 on Friday morning, prompting a rush of scratchings, but it was quickly upgraded to a soft 7 before the first race.
The Cameron Handicap was severely affected, starting with just six runners after having a field of 10 on Thursday night.
Odds-on favourites Communist, for trainer Michael Freedman, and A Lot More Love, for Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, took out the opening races.
McDonald won on Communist then brought up a double with the John Sargent-trained Left Reeling in the 1850m class 1 and maiden.
Cessnock trainer Jeremy Sylvester scored a local win with $19 chance Classy Jaybee in the 900m benchmark 78 handicap.
The former Hong Kong galloper was having his first start for Sylvester.
