Frances O'Shea

Racing writer ex-Newcastle Sunday, Wyong Race Club.

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

@TBartleyracing is eyeing a Prov/Midwy Champs campaign for Cuban Cigar following today's home track win in the 1300m Cond BM68 👌Mitchell Bell partnered the 4yo son of Churchill to his 4th win at start 8, with 1 minor placing 🏇Congrats to the stable & connections 👏👏#teamwyong

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

BRAD Widdup & Mike Van Gestel kicked off the new season for the @hawkesburyrc training base with wins at @WyongRaceClub yesterday.
Widdup took the 1350m Provincial Maiden with Savoonga (Chad Schofield) at $3.90, & Van Gestel sprang a $21 upset with Johnny Smash (Mollie Fitzgerald) in the 1630m BM64.
Savoonga, a 4yo daughter of North Pacific, was bred by Davali Thoroughbreds & given to Hawkesbury’s leading trainer when she didn’t reach her reserve at the 2024 Inglis Classic yearling sale.
Johnny Smash, a 5yo son of Brave Smash, is a homebred & the 2nd foal of Cheeky Bella, with whom Van Gestel won 5 races. Read more 👇#provincialracing 📸 Bradley_Photos https://t.co/Ub2XH8DVpH

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

#teamwyong kicks off today's Muswellbrook meeting with a winner, Shaun Harvey 's Gemtiki too strong in the 1750m Mdn 🏇Aaron Bullock partnering the Almanzor mare to a convincing 2l length debut win at start 9, with 3 minors.
Congrats to the stable & connections 👏👏#whatateam

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

Noms for our Wyong Horse Bundle Launch Event next Sunday, AUGUST 2 close at 11am tomorrow https://t.co/OOQj45tKFO

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

@KBloodstockNSW boss Sean Driver says he is surprised So You Pence is not outright favorite for the 1200m $2m The Kosciuszko at Randwick on Oct 17.
The rising 7yo mare made a stunning return at that track on Saturday, trouncing her rivals in the 1300m BM78 after having not started since winning the $250k Barn Dance there last November.
https://t.co/WeDL4cIpmc shortened So You Pence from $15 to $8 – & she is 1 of 6 horses sharing favoritism.
“I think she should be outright favorite,” Driver said.
“She is a really good mare (the story of her injury woes leading up to Saturday’s resumption was highlighted prior to the race on https://t.co/hOzoUNw8HM), & that was a dominant performance on Saturday." https://t.co/nJNMaNFvfJ

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

Wyong track manager Phill Robinson gives an update on the track conditions ahead of tomorrow's Club NSW race meeting #wyongraces

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

BRAD Widdup didn’t mess about clinching back to back trainers’ premierships at home on Sunday.
@hawkesburyrc's leading trainer began the final meeting of the season tied with Chris Waller on 14 wins, and sealed the result when he won the opener on the 7-race program.
And for good measure he added another 3 races later to boost his local number of winners for the 2025-26 racing year to 16.
In the process the home track double lifted Widdup’s overall number of winners for the season to 64, bettering last year’s 63.
Widdup won the 1100m CG&E Maiden with the promising Hong Kong-owned Viva Macaco, & 2000m Class 1/Maiden with Longinus 👇

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

IT may have been a provincial Maiden, but there was something truly special about Share The Joy’s breakthrough victory at @hawkesburyrc on Sunday.
The rising 7yo mare was having her 34th start in the 1300m Prov Mdn, & understandably gave her 93-year-old owner Tom Smith a huge thrill.
Ridden by Jeff Penza, Share The Joy ($19) gamely defeated Gosford trainer Jake Hull’s debutante Sono Immortale ($5.50) & Hawkesbury trainer Marc Chevalier’s Cape Douglas ($2.70 favorite).
Share The Joy, a $10k purchase as a yearling in 2021, is trained at Hawkesbury by husband & wife Mitch & Desiree Kearney 👇https://t.co/4H85RASIQb

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

We're racing at Wyong tomorrow with strong fields across the eight races 👇It's the last meeting of the season & #teamwyong has a strong hand across the program. 1st of 8 races at 12.20pm #wyongraces #theplacetobe
https://t.co/vik5iNfARL

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

Damien Lane is the sole #teamwyong trainer with a runner at Canterbury today. The stable saddles up Sneaky Sophia in the 1200m 3YO & Up BM64. Good luck 🤞🤞#wellbecheering #winners

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

A trio of #teamwyong trainers heading to today's Tamworth meeting. Good luck to 👇
@kimwaugh6 👉 Rhinestone Lad;
Denim Wynen 👉 Irish Sinner;
@TBartleyracing 👉 Czech Her Out;
Good luck 🤞🤞#wellbecheering #winners

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

Noms are out for next Thursday, July 23 race day with the following races extended 👇#wyongraces
* PROV C1 1350m;
*MIDWAY 4YO&UP MDN 1300m;
*MAIDEN 1600m;

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

KERRY Parker is ready to chase an overdue city breakthrough with a “confident” Let’s Go Again.
The multiple G1 winning Kembla Grange trainer says the mare’s successful resumption at home yesterday was an important start to her campaign in search of finally making her mark in town.
Ridden by apprentice Olivia Chambers, Let’s Go Again ($3.40 fav) led her rivals a merry dance in the 1200m Prov BM68 to post the 4th win of her 22nd start career.
“Let’s Go Again has raced well in town, & has been placed five times without winning,” Parker said today.
“Her last four metropolitan placings have been in Midways, & we’ll go back there soon to try to win one of them." https://t.co/tiiugwK0Qb

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

Another day & another @TBartleyracing winner, with stable debutant Stakeholder too strong in the 1200m 3YO Mid MDN at @kemblaraces, ridden in Rory Hutchings. The victory, Bartley's 22nd for the season, follows Dusty Bay's win metro yesterday. Congrats 👏#tw

[Frances O'Shea @franoshea11]

@munsieanne @clarenceriverjc That's lovely. Hopefully you were a winner on & off the track 🤞😍😘

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

NEWCASTLE Jockey Club is confident its flagship race, the $1m The Hunter, will quickly regain Group status.
In decisions announced by the Asian Pattern Committee, The Hunter will carry Listed status when it is run later this year, but Illawarra Turf Club’s $1m The Gong retains its G3 status.
Both features were run for the 1st time in 2019 at new Saturday metro stand-alone meetings introduced by RacingNSW.
Newcastle’s G3 Spring Stakes for 3yo's & the Listed The Beauford for stayers have maintained their current rating, but Illawarra Turf Club’s The Warra for sprinters, previously a G3 race, reverts to Listed status https://t.co/TrXsfAH2Fa

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

A super Wednesday afternoon awaits at Grafton's @clarenceriverjc today 👇
And if you can't be trackside check out all the racing on Sky Racing & head to LightningBet for the best odds #provincialracing

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

We race THURSDAY week, July 23 🏇🏇 Noms close this Friday, July 17 👇#wyongraces https://t.co/sf8NhZ5ghk

[PROVINCIAL RACING @provracingnsw]

@kbuchananracing was determined to stick to her guns! @WyongRaceClub trainer’s commitment to riding tactics led the way for a metropolitan breakthrough with Hellova Nature in Brisbane on Saturday, & very nearly gave her a 2-State double.
Before Hellova Nature ($10) stormed home at Doomben to take the No Metro Wins Handicap (1350m), stablemate Tambeloa ($4.80) was ironically edged out by a Brisbane visitor All Kinds Of Folk ($4.40 favorite) in the BM78 (1800m) for 3 & 4yo's at Randwick.
While understandably disappointed to go so close with Tambeloa, she took great satisfaction in continuing Hellova Nature’s brilliant form this campaign.
But it wasn’t that way at the gelding’s 1st campaign after Calibre Racing switched him to Buchanan from Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle👇#provrac https://t.co/43MRUc3jAb

[Wyong Race Club @WyongRaceClub]

@kimwaugh6 & @kbuchananracing our weekly winners, Waugh successful with Fast And Free at @newcastleraces_ Saturday & Buchanan a winner with Hellova Nature at Doomben. With just over 2 weeks left in 2025/26 season 👇
Nacim Dilmi 34;
@TBartleyracing 14;
Waugh 17.5;
Buchanan 15;