3 minute read

Trainer Mark Newnham had to play a bit of catch up with Your Too Good in her late autumn campaign but has had no such issues as the filly chases her maiden win at Hawkesbury on Thursday.

The daughter of Your Song, out of Way Too Good, recorded placings in both starts in April and Newnham said while she was "a little bit backward" at the time he could only be pleased with what she achieved behind a smart filly on debut and subsequently in a city two-year-old race.

"She was late to be broken in so she's sort of been on the back foot from the start and last preparation was her first full prep,'' Newnham said.

"So she did a good job getting through to trials and races and ran really well.

"De An Andretti ran her down (on debut) and it was a pretty solid maiden, she drew wide and did a bit of work in running, and second-up she probably showed she'd had enough.

"She was at her top nearly the whole race so she ran well without running up to her first-up run."

So with the foundation of that first campaign to work with, Newnham said Your Too Good, $2.60 with TAB on Wednesday, has done everything right ahead of the Independent Liquor Group Plate (1100m).

She's been beaten under a length in both trials and the trainer can't see any reason why she won't be very competitive.

"She's had a faultless prep to date, got the two trials out of the way, she's drawn well and the track will be good,'' he said.

"It's nice to be drawn inside at Hawkesbury when it's good. I'd imagine she will be pretty hard to beat, it would take a nice one to beat her."

There's no doubt as far as Newnham is concerned that Russian Standard has the ability to be winning races but warned he's very much still a work in progress as he lines up in the Sky Racing Plate (1100m).

The gelding led second-up at Hawkesbury a month ago and was run down by Journalism over the same course after making a mess of his Kembla Grange return.

"He blew the start first-up, turned his head when they jumped,'' he said.

"He's a horse that's always been a little easily distracted. He ran well the other day, he'll run a good race.

"He's never quite performed up to his work and his trials, the other day was a step towards that. He's not short of talent but he's has been a bit short on applying himself."

And Bullet Rider has his first run for Newnham in the XXXX Gold Handicap (1100m).

He was a maiden winner back in January and showed some promise running a close second to Swift Witness in his latest trial.

"He's got some talent, his trials have been quite good. He came out of a good trial the other day, he got a bit tired, and I'd expect him to race well,'' he said.