Latest News

By Adrian Sciglitano

Trainer Mark Milton is looking to springboard his galloper Don’tcha Think ($5 on TAB) into the Hunter & North West Evergreen Turf Country Championships (1400m) on March 9 at Tamworth when he contests the Porter Hire Conditional Benchmark 68 (1400m) at Newcastle on Saturday.

The five-year-old son of So You Think has been a model of consistency this preparation, including a last start placing over 1400m in TAB Highway company at Rosehill behind Swift Charm and Milton is looking to use Saturday’s race to boost his benchmark rating.

Don'tcha Think (Darryl McLellan) in winning touch at Tamworth. Image by Bradley Photographers

“Just like everyone else in New South Wales, that’s where we are aiming [for the Evergreen Turf Country Championships],” Milton said.

“If he can win another race and get his benchmark [rating] high enough he is around that type of distance.”

A dual acceptor for both the TAB Highway over 1400m at Rosehill Gardens and the Porter Hire Conditional Benchmark 68 at Newcastle, Milton has a leaning to running his galloper at Newcastle in the smaller field from barrier eight in what looks a winnable race.

“He is a better chance [at Newcastle] and can have a bit more luck at in an eight-horse field rather than an eighteen-horse field at Rosehill.

“We are aiming a bit lower rather than a bit higher. All his runs this prep have been really consistent, and he is probably looking for that 1400m which he got last time as well,” he said.

Milton is confident his galloper can make his own luck on speed from a wide draw and has turned to the trusty hands of Keagan Latham.

“Yeah he probably is [a horse you can ride forward], in saying that you don’t want to rev him up too much and have him pulling, so you just have to be a bit careful as far as driving him out of the gates too hard.

“There isn’t going to be too many instructions to a guy like him [Keagan Latham],” Milton said.

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