Morgan angling to be best on ground at Newcastle (Saturday)

Newcastle based Ash Morgan, trailing the leader Aaron Bullock by 15 wins in the New South Wales Jockeys Premiership, has a full book full of rides at the eight race Newcastle race meeting on Saturday.

Ashley Morgan has ridden 106 1/2 winners in New South Wales this season and his last two mounts on Saturday appears to be the Jason Deamer trained Rapt and Parade Ground for trainer James Cummings.

The Cummings-Godolphin team only have the one runner and he is in career best form.

Parade Ground will contest the final event the 1500 metre Australian Liquor Marketers Benchmark 64 Handicap in which the 3 year old has barrier 2.

He has had three starts this preparation for two close seconds at Kembla and Wyong before a 2 1/2 length win at Kembla on April 20. The gelding was very unlucky at Wyong two starts back when the short straight brought him undone.

It was a 1350 metre Maiden and he was near last to the 600 metres before taking off around the field. Parade Ground stormed home to the beaten by .63 of a length.

Last start at Kembla he relished the 1500 metre trip and a soft track and he bolted in.

Rapt, bred to swim and runner up in her only heavy track start, will line up in the 1300 metre Class 1 Tooheys New Handicap and the 3 year old draws ideally in barrier four.

The filly was given a cosy run by Morgan first up at Newcastle before being held up from the 250 and was only clear late.

Before a spell Rapt came from well back when 1.7 lengths from the winner Panic at Newcastle.

Deamer has a good strike rate for Dynamic Syndications and the combination celebrated a victory at Rosehill last Saturday with Hard to Say.

Snatchreilly, narrowly beaten in both starts this preparation has bright prospects of breaking through for his first win in the opening event the BLK Kartel Vodka Maiden Plate (1200 metres).

The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trained colt was placed when an odds on favourite on this track in April last year.

He has genuine speed and he raced on the speed when beaten a nose first up at Gosford on March 16.

Second up at Hawkesbury on April 18 on soft going the 3 year old was only beaten half a length. Snatchreilly has Barrier 2 and Kegan Latham rides.

The Kris Lees trained Naahro placed in four of six starts will be hard to beat in the Impact Building Super Maiden (1500 metres).

Andrew Gibbons has the mount and the 3 year old has barrier 2 and will sit back off the speed.

Gibbons was aboard when Naahro, a son of Lonhro, came from near last to finish runner up second on the track on April 13. He again came from near last when placed at Scone first up on March 22 on a soft 7 track.

John Sargent has made a gear change on his 3 year old Waverley which drops sharply in class when contest the 1870 metre Ausure Hospitality Maiden Plate. 'Sarge' has taken the visors off and on go the blinkers again.

He has been placed in four of nine starts and last start was outclassed first up in the Listed Randwick South Pacific Classic on April 13.

The gelding was runner up in the Listed Geelong Classic in October and a repeat of that performance would win this race.


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