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By Gary Harley

James Cummings has accepted with three well fancied gallopers at Wednesday’s Newcastle Jockey Club race meeting with stable apprentice Zac Lloyd riding what appears the stable’s best two chances and Rachel King the other.

Royal Standard ($3.50 on TAB) carries the Godolphin colours with Lloyd aboard in the opening event, the Living Turf Maiden Plate (1890m).

Royal Standard (Alysha Collett) heads to the barriers at Hawkesbury. Image by Bradley Photographers

The gelding is second favourite behind Joe Pride’s Heaven Bound ($1.50) and Royal Standard, a son of Dundeel is crying out for this trip.

He has only had three starts and second-up at Gosford on April 4 on a very heavy track the three-year-old settled third last over the 1600m trip.

Royal Standard made up many lengths down the short straight to finish third, 2.45 lengths from the winner.  He will be fitter on Wednesday and will relish the long Broadmeadow straight.

The favourite Heaven Bound has been placed in four of eight starts and was narrowly beaten on this track on March 8, and finished midfield on a very heavy track in the Group 3 Adrian Knox last start on April 6.

Cummings’ other pair Voile ($3.70) and Glorioso ($4.40) clash in the New Era Technology 2YO Maiden Plate (900m), and both have sound credentials.

Lloyd rides Voile, hard held to lead all the way in a recent Warwick Farm trial on the synthetic track. Back in December she was a $5.50 chance in the Listed Merson Cooper at Caufield but was unplaced.

In her only other start at Canterbury on January 5, Voile was well backed when beaten less than three lengths. Glorioso has drawn the outside in the field of 12, but the filly has genuine speed. She has been placed in all three starts, two at Newcastle over this trip.

Paul Perry’s Curl Curl ($2.50 fav) resumes from a spell in the Hungerford Hill Wines Maiden Handicap (900m).

Placed in three of four starts, the three-year-old has stormed home from back in the field when narrowly beaten at Newcastle in February and August. Curl Curl won a recent Newcastle trial by 11 lengths and Aaron Bullock has the mount.

Trajectile ($6.50), a brilliant last start winner on this track on April 6, is well placed in the Lees Racing Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1890m). Part-owned by Vinery Stud boss Peter Orton, the filly is trained by Kris Lees.

Bred at Arrowfield, the three-year-old’s dam Hollow Bullet won the 2004 VRC Oaks and 2005 Group 1 Arrowfield at Rosehill. Second-up at Newcastle she raced away in the closing stages of a 1500m Maiden to win by 2.64 lengths under little pressure.

Andrew Gibbons has ridden Trajectile in four of her five starts, however, Dylan Gibbons who has ridden her in the past has the mount on Wednesday.

The 1890m trip appears ideal and a win could convince connections that the filly should head to the Queensland Oaks. Lees won the 2023 Queensland Oaks with Amokura.

Ash Morgan who has ridden 101½ winners this season, the most of any New South Wales-based jockey, has a good chance of adding to that tally aboard the Mark Minervini-trained Rubi’s Serve ($4.60) in the Sharp Office Maiden Plate (1250m).

The filly in her second race start was beaten half a length by the talented filly Empress of Wonder on April 13 at Newcastle. She has speed to take up a forward position and should prove hard to beat.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Newcastle here