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By Gary Harley

Newcastle Jockey Club backs up from a highly successful The Hunter raceday last Saturday with a seven-race program on the course proper this Thursday.

Back in the 1980s, the champion jockey Ron Quinton rode a freakish grey mare Emancipation trained by close friend Neville Begg.

The mare won 19 of 28 starts including six Group 1s and Quinton rode the Australian Hall Of Fame galloper in 27 of her 28 starts.

Where's My Halo (Mitchell Bell) heads to the gates at Newcastle. Image by Bradley Photographers

On Thursday at Newcastle, Where’s My Halo ($3.90 favourite on TAB), a four-year-old mare bred and owned by Begg and trained by Quinton, has bright prospects of breaking through for her first victory in the 1400m Kick Up For Racing Midway Maiden Handicap.

She has been runner-up in two of her four starts and last start at Newcastle on October 7, Where’s My Halo was a fast finishing second (beaten a length) behind Buckenara.

The mare has no speed and jockey Mitchell Bell allowed her to drop out to second last before steering Where’s My Halo to the outside of the field at the top of the straight to make her run.

The daughter of Hallowed Crown laid in noticeably down the straight but hit the line hard.

In her previous starts at Kembla the mare again came from well back to finish second. Quinton will apply the blinkers to Where’s My Halo on Thursday and Bell retains the mount.

The speedy Wyong filly Precious Girl ($5.50) is due for a change of luck when she steps out in the 900m Davali Thoroughbreds Super Maiden Plate.

She is very quick and in her two starts at Newcastle and Gosford over that short course, Andrew Gibbons has ridden Precious Girl in both starts this preparation and he will be in the saddle on Thursday. Denim Wynen prepares the 3yo and the barrier is okay.

The Hawkes stable will send the consistent Copacabana ($2.25 favourite) to Newcastle and Zac Lloyd makes the trip to ride the gelding in the 1400m O’Neill Tyres Maitland-Steve O’Neill Memorial Class 1 Handicap. The 5yo has only had one win from 11 starts but has been placed on eight occasions.

After two nice trials at Rosehill in October, Copacabana resumed from an 11-month spell at Kembla on November 4. He was slow away then over-raced badly for the first half of the race and had a tough run all the way off the track.

The son of Toronado made good ground down the straight to be beaten two lengths. He finished close up in Metropolitan mid-week races last preparation.

The Richard & Will Freedman stable has booked Newcastle apprentice William Stanley to ride the lightly raced Yabby Pump ($3.40 fav) in the 1400m National Thoroughbred Week Benchmark 68 Handicap and a 2kg allowance is available.

Second-up at Kembla on November 8 the 4yo was slowly away and came from second last on the turn to go down by 1.36 lengths. His first-up run at Newcastle on October 2 was solid when he came from well back to be within 2.19 lengths of the winner.

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