Newgate’s Henry Field has a couple of Group 1 winners with champion trainer Chris Waller, Militarize and Campione D’Italia, but he admits if a third comes in Saturday’s Queensland Derby it will be a happy mistake.
The extended trip of 2400m wasn’t what Field was looking for when he bought the talented pair as yearlings.
They were bought to eventually have a Hunter Valley home, Queensland Derby favourites Providence and Monopolistic are more likely to have a future in racing mecca of Hong Kong.
Newgate is about developing the next generations of the industry and Field is looking for Inglis Sires’ winners like Campione D’Italia and Militarize, which added a Champagne Stakes and Golden Rose, not stayers that aren’t as commercial in the Australian stallion market.
“We have had a bit of good luck with the right horses with Chris Waller and it is important for us as a breeder to have that relationship with the best trainers,” Field said. “He has converted our horses into Group 1 races and another win would be great.
“But I have to say that we bought Providence and Monopolistic as Guineas horses to be great milers, and I got it wrong. I have to own that mistake.
“But they get their chance to win a Group 1 on Saturday and a Derby, and our ownership group is very excited about that.”
Providence and Monopolistic will not fill a stallion box at Newgate, and like many lining-up in the Queensland Derby could have a future in Hong Kong beyond Saturday.
“We have had plenty of interest from Hong Kong in the past month in both of them, and decided to keep them for the Queensland Derby, but come next week they will both be on the market,” Field said.
A Queensland Derby runner-up Werther went on to win the Hong Kong Derby, while last year’s Eagle Farm runner-up King Of Thunder was second in the Hong Kong Derby this year running as Numbers.
The 2000m of the Hong Kong Derby could be ideal with Providence by Wootton Bassett and Monopolistic by Savabeel. Both are out of Fastnet Rock mares, which have been proven to produce Classic winners in Europe.
Providence quickly showed he would extend out in trip in the spring, being a Moonee Valley Vase runner-up and fifth in the Victoria Derby. He came back to be down the track in the Randwick Guineas before being placed in the Frank Packer Plate and Rough Habit Plate leading into Saturday.
Monopolistic has taken a different route after being sixth in the Packer Plate, he won a 2100m benchmark race at the Gosford standalone meeting.
“We get there with two really nice horses that have to run the 2400m,” Field said. “We have the right jockeys in Jmac on Providence and Benny Melham for Monopolistic to get the job done.”
