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By Gary Harley

Arrowfield Stud's smart four-year-old Akasawa ($1.95 favourite on TAB) resumes from a nine-month spell at Newcastle Jockey Club's meeting on the Beaumont Track on Monday and he is the most interesting runner on the day.

Raced by John Messara and trained by his son Paul, Akasawa has had four starts for three wins and a second, he will run in the Choisir Handicap 1350m.

He debuted with a 3¼-length win in a Muswellbrook maiden in September 2020. Five months later Akasawa was unlucky when runner-up at Muswellbrook before a Mudgee win on February 28 this year.

His only other start was on March 15 when he won a Scone Benchmark impressively. The gelding has had two recent barrier trials and on December 4 he won a Scone trial.

Akasawa has had a different jockey in all four starts but Aaron Bullock who rode him in his last start has the mount on Monday.

Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle has two live chances at the meeting. Three-year-old filly Wealthofknowledge ($1.45 fav) turned in an eye-catching performance on debut on the Newcastle course proper on November 28.

The daughter of Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, Wealthofknowledge came from near last in the straight to finish runner up 1½-lengths from the winner. She contests the TAB Maiden Handicap 1350m. She has drawn well and her only start was on a heavy track.

Doyle’s other starter Jet Pack ($1.70 fav) has barrier one in the Boxing Day Races Class 2 & above Benchmark 58 Handicap 1150m. He won first-up at Port Macquarie on November 11 and he had good country form last preparation.

Gosford filly Miss Calculation ($3.10) resumes in the 1350m OAS Technology Maiden Handicap with Andrew Gibbons aboard. The three-year-old was beaten four lengths by Paulele in a Randwick 2yo event 11 months ago and hasn’t raced since but has had two recent trials and has drawn nicely.

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