Racing
A better Newnham out for major milestone
My Wish could see Mark Newnham reach new heights in Hong Kong.
Coming to Hong Kong and being in the thick of the Asian racing has made Mark Newnham a better trainer, and he freely admits it.
Equal with Caspar Fownes on 24 wins this season so far, the four-time group one winner in Sydney has a victory at the highest level still to knock over.
At Sha Tin on Sunday, he is hopeful of cracking the century mark in Hong Kong in the little over two years since he moved from Australia.
"In Australia, you can protect your strike-rate and pick and choose which races you want to run in," Newham said.
"In Hong Kong, you can't scratch because you don't like the barrier or track conditions. Once you enter, you run."
That all trainers have the same horses and facilities available to them is something which attracted Newnham to make the move.
"The cap of 70 horses does test you as a trainer and in the two years I have been here, I am a much better trainer than I was in Sydney.
"That comes down to not having the turnover of horses. Once a horse arrives in Hong Kong, how it performs is up to the trainer and you're not in a position to, say, send this horse to Kembla to find a win.
"You're got two choices – Happy Valley and Sha Tin – and the ratings bands are very tight."
Newnham has four runners in the lead-up to My Wish starting in the Group 1 Hong King Mile (1600m) so it could be one of Thousand Spirit, Armour War Eagle, Zephyr or Snowfield who becomes his 100th winner.
However, it is five-year-old My Wish who could see him reach new heights on Hong Kong's premier day.
"Time really is a good thing," Newnham said.
"Here, if you're a four-year-old, you're still immature and allowing horses to have time and you can see the benefit of that with a horse like My Wish.
"At four, he was quite immature and he has improved with every run he's had with the best still ahead of him.
"Voyage Bubble was racing at his best as a six-year-old and Romantic Warrior was at his best at seven.
"The way it is set up in Australia with Golden Slippers and the like, it hinders the progression of many horses."
Voyage Bubble takes on the Mile this time after winning the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) last December, and Newnham knows that toppling a local hero will not be easy.
The only downside of the preparation was My Wish missing the placings at $1.40 in the main lead-up, the Group 2 Jockey Club Mile (1600m).
"I would have preferred he'd won at $1.40," Newnham joked.
"But going into Sunday's race, this is a much better set-up for him.
"His peak performances have come off three weeks (between runs). His second-up, run he was able to set the pace, absorb that and kick.
"Going into last season's Derby off a three-week break, that was probably his best effort."
With Luke Ferraris aboard, Newnham says that a situation similar will be what gelding needs to topple the favourite.
"We go there in good order and expect him to run well."
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