Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Mark Newnham loves being around horses, he always has. He cherishes his lifetime involvement with thoroughbreds, working with great horses and accomplished racing people; always feeling that it was his destiny to be a trainer.
And it is a role he has relished from the start, though the demanding nature of being a trainer in Australia was, he admits, getting to him.
Not the actual training, but all the things that go with it - the staff issues, travel, the long hours, the constant travel... “I was going to four meetings a week, and the trials - it was a lot!”
Mark Newnham | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Which is why an offer to train in Hong Kong was a most attractive one, Newnham and his wife making the move in June last year in time to kick off the 2023/24 season.
Recording his first win with the Australian bred Happy Hero (Pierro) at Happy Valley last October, Newnham has been on an upward spiral since - his tally sitting on 15 winners and looking set to increase... hopefully by as early as Saturday.
Two nice 3-year-olds are set to take their place at Sha Tin and Newnham is confident that both can run well.
Windcheater (Toronado {Ire}) is already a winner, overcoming trouble in running to salute at his Sha Tin debut in mid-February, at his next start only just missing out after engaging in a two-horse battle at the same track.
Bred by Tara Farm and sold to Hong Kong off the back of a Morphettville trial victory last June, he steps up from 1200 metres to 1400 metres on Saturday with Harry Bentley to take the ride.
Meanwhile Zac Purton rides Invincible Lucky (Scissor Kick) who won a Muswellbrook trial last July. He has found the line well at his first two starts finishing a close-up third and fourth and looks to have his hoof on the till.
Another double would be a boost for the stable on the back of wins recorded by Master Of Luck (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}) and Show Respect (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
A milestone victory
The 2-year-old Master Of Luck - who came out of New Zealand where he won a couple of trials - was having just his third start for the stable; showing improvement at each outing.
And it was the first Hong Kong win not only for Show Respect but for his owner - Yulong's Zhang Yuesheng.
In 2022, announcing that a select number of non-Hong Kong residents would be permitted to race in the previously restricted arena, the Hong Kong Jockey Club welcomed its first two international owners, the famed South African breeder and owner Mary Slack one, Zhang Yuesheng the other.
Newnham trained for Yulong in Sydney and after, sitting with Zhang Yuesheng at last year's Hong Kong International Yearling Sale, he was invited to again train a horse in the green and white.
It was the 4-year-old Show Respect's fourth run for the stable and, Newnham said, “an important win.”
He looks forward to training other horses for Zhang Yuesheng including a yet to-be-renamed Zoustar 3-year-old currently in quarantine, arriving in Hong Kong just two days ago.
Racing in Melbourne for the Corstens stable as Alsonso, the $200,000 Magic Millions graduate bred by Yulong is a son of the dual Group 1 winner Soriano (NZ) (Savabeel). Bolting in with his maiden at Benalla last spring, he finished off strongly when third in the Listed Springtime S. at Flemington in November.
A change of pace as the stable builds
Newnham's pair of winners are amongst the 50 he has in training at the Olympic stables where he works alongside Douglas Whyte, Jamie Richards and Michael Chang and he is loving every minute of the new lifestyle.
“It has been a slow build-up,” he said, noting that his first winners have been horses transferred from other stables with horses he is starting from scratch with - such his two running on Saturday - now coming through.
“About half the stable are younger horses,” he said, enjoying the challenge of getting to know a horse from the start of their Hong Kong careers.
Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
And he is delighted with just how “easy” the Hong Kong Jockey Club make things.
“It is all so brilliantly run. You rarely have to ask for anything and on the rare occasions that you do, it just gets done. They are always on hand to help, it is so refreshing.”
“It (training and racing in Hong Kong) is all so brilliantly run. You rarely have to ask for anything and on the rare occasions that you do, it just gets done. They (Hong Kong Jockey Club) are always on hand to help, it is so refreshing.” - Mark Newnham
All the things that caused stress when training in Sydney have been taken away - “here I just turn up and train horses. I am so much more relaxed, I am sleeping better and I never have that feeling of always being stretched for time.”
“At home I was expected to be everything, here I am just expected to be a horse trainer,” he said, adding that “I can confidently say now that, unless unforeseen circumstances arise, I will never train in Australia again... I am spoilt here!”
“I can confidently say now that, unless unforeseen circumstances arise, I will never train in Australia again... I am spoilt here!” - Mark Newnham
Newnham has enjoyed taking into account the cultural differences between Australian and Hong Kong owners - getting into the spirit of things, attending ceremonies and visiting temples, happy to embrace the same traditions his owners do - “it is all a part of fitting in,” he said.
And he is loving the “fantastic” atmosphere on course with every meeting well attended by keen race goers and even more enthusiastic owners.
“When an owner here is going to be away, they let the trainer know not to run their horses during that time. They absolutely hate to to miss out on a win, to not be in the winning photo!”
“When an owner here is going to be away, they let the trainer know not to run their horses during that time. They absolutely hate to to miss out on a win, to not be in the winning photo!” - Mark Newnham
“It is all about the photo,” he laughed, always delighted to see a big group of 20 or 30 happy people even when a horse has only one or two owners.
“They bring all their family and friends and they are always absolutely ecstatic to win, no matter what the class of race.”
Newnham also enjoys seeing how much his staff love being part of the team.
“Everyone shows up every day, on time. They are well-trained and they just love coming to work - they really appreciate the job which is considered quite a privilege here.”
“They (stable staff) are well-trained and they just love coming to work - they really appreciate the job (in racing) which is considered quite a privilege here.” - Mark Newnham
“They enjoy the wins, everyone was pumped up here this morning - even those who worked late with our winners were here first thing! They really get a big kick out it, they are just so engaged with their work and with the horses.”
The atmosphere in the mornings is also good, Newnham noting that whilst the Hong Kong International week is an amazing experience, Hong Kong racing is always big!
“It does go up a notch that week but there are numbers of press at track work every morning, regardless of the time of year,” he said.
Focus on Friday's International Sale
Also gaining plenty of publicity is the Hong Kong International Sale of which last year's G1 WS Cox Plate hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) is a famed graduate. The breeze-ups have already taken place with twenty well related 3-year-olds due to go under the hammer on Friday evening.
Newnham is looking forward to attending though not confident he will end up with a horse - “I have owners who are keen but it will be price dependent, and they do pay good money for them at them at that sale - it is a real event.”
Hong Kong International Sale | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Eleven of the sale's horses on offer were bred in Australasia - an Exceed And Excel half-brother to the G3 Pago Pago S. winner Single Bullet (Not A Single Doubt) purchased at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $400,000, a Zoustar son of the Group 3 mare Honey Rider (NZ) (Pins) who fetched $340,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, a Savabeel great grandson of Horlicks (NZ) (Three Legs {GB}) who was sourced from the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale for $290,000, an I Am Invincible half-brother to the ATC Derby hero Levendi (Pierro) bought at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $600,000, and an I Am Invincible out of the Group 2-placed Mark Two (NZ) (Pins) sold for $550,000 at Inglis Premier.
As well as a Per Incanto (USA) $560,000 full brother to the G1 Railway S. winner Santa Monica (NZ), a $1 million Inglis Easter Zoustar son of the G2 Sweet Embrace S. winner One More Honey (Onemorenomore), a $500,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Deep Field son of the G3 Red Roses S. winner Onemorezeta (Onemorenomore), a $300,000 Inglis Premier Magnus out of a half-sister to the four-time Group winner Cliff's Edge, a $400,000 Inglis Easter Dundeel (NZ) out of the five-time Group winner Whispering Brook (Hinchinbrook) and a $400,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Deep Field out of the G3 Eulogy S. winner Whistling Dixie (NZ) (Pins).
