Ladbrokes Newcastle Cup (G3)
253 Days
To Go
Ladbrokes Gardens
RACE RECORD41.43
Avg race time42.33
Avg 1st section11.19
The Ladbrokes Newcastle Cup has become a popular listed staying event on the racing calendar.

Some talented stayers have won the event over the years, notably Miagi in 2007, Dashing Corsair in 2010, Zipping Lad in 2011 and Smart Valentino in 2013.

In 2018, siblings Poco Dorado, Blue Moon Rising and Veloce Nero all by National Sprint Championship winner Chica Destacada, ran the trifecta in Newcastle Cup, with Jodie Lord’s Just Terms gave Blue Moon Rising a start and a beating in the 2019 edition of the Cup. 

Talented stayer Heres Tears took out the 2020 Cup, then in 2021 leading Hunter trainer Jason Mackay won his third Newcastle Cup, when Cool Bourbski - who broke the track record in the heats - took out the final.

Cool Bourbski atop the podium in 2022

After the heats in 2022 the final set up as a match-race between the Jodie Lord-trained Cawbourne Magic, and Stagger Out Lee, trained on the outskirts of Wagga by 24-year-old Jack Strutt.

The pair has met the previous month in the Group 1 Bold Trease final at Sandown and it was Stagger Out Lee who got the cash over Cawbourne Magic.

But the tables were turned at Newcastle when, a night after they collected the Group 1 Megastar trophy at Dapto, the Lords were celebrating again with Cawbourne Magic taking the race in 41.55s.

In 2023, Ritza Piper continued her purple patch of form with a dominant 5.75 length victory in the Cup.

The diminutive stayer had been racing in Melbourne for a month prior to the Cup, with victory in the G1 Topgun Stayers event followed by a second-placed finish in the Bold Trease behind fellow NSW chaser Palawa King.

Trainer Joe Scerri welcomed her back into his kennel on the eve of the Group 3 event at The Gardens, with the daughter of Ritza Lenny x Ritza Vonnie showing no signs of fatigue as she led the field a merry dance over the 715m trip.

Glaski Poke and Downtown Zipper filled the minors, but it all about Ritza Piper as she claimed another big race win to take her career earnings to a shade under $300,000.

"It's been an amazing month, the best of my life," Scerri said.

"I was panicking through the week about her but everything has happened well. We travelled back [from Melbourne] on Sunday and the heat as well, a change of food coming back home, I just worry about everything, I was second guessing myself a little bit."

"Paul and Diane [Bartolo] have done an amazing job in Melbourne for us, and my Mum at home...it wouldn't happen without her and Dad."