By JARROD POTTER
BIG presents were opened early for Mornington trainer Jason Warren and rider Craig Newitt at Sportingbet Park (Sandown) on Emma Booth Christmas Race Day.
Winning the marquee 1000m Emma Booth Christmas Cup, named for a brave Berwick equestrian rider who has vowed to keep riding despite a car accident leaving her paraplegic, capped off the day for the Jason Warren Racing team, after earlier success on the card.
Champion jockey Newitt worked from the back of the field to guide the five-year-old gelding Danger Close past the heavily backed and similarly handicapped Lord of the Sky carrying 60kg.
Danger Close lived up to its moniker as Newitt went wide down the straight and took the lead at the 50-metre post to win the $120,000 race by the skin of his teeth over Cranbourne-trained Mr Make Believe – by point-two of a length – and Eight Bills.
It was Newitt’s last race meet in Australia for six months – after deciding to take a riding stint in Singapore – and he finished on a high with two wins from three rides on the day to guide Sang Choi Bao to the post to claim the 1000m Dunlite Handicap.
“Something for the battlers and we’re very happy to give Craig a double on his last day riding in Melbourne before he heads to Singapore,” Warren said.
With a third winner down at Stoney Creek on Saturday, it was a Saturday to savour for the Warren stables, after concern about the heavy rain bucketing down around Dandenong on Friday night.
We’ve had a terrific day, we had a winner down at Stoney Creek, and we enjoy racing down there and to get the big double here in town is awesome as well,” Warren said.
“We were actually a bit worried as neither of them (Sang Choi Bao and Danger Close) are genuine red trackers, but the track has held up really well, so we were very lucky there.”
The next meet at Sandown is Wednesday before the marquee Boxing Day Races including the $120,000 Christmas Stakes (1200m) and Lord Stakes (1600m).
