Breeding & Racing Magazine

Newnham Draws First and Fast

Leading up to Wednesday's opening event at Canterbury in Sydney, racingnsw.com reported that trainer Mark Newnham was following a tried and trusted family pattern with promising prospect Sixgun. A younger sibling to potential Gr1 and/or Everest performer Splintex and half-sister Invictus Salute, Newnham set the Snitzel colt for a short winter campaign, and it paid off big time with a dashing win at $10 against a field that included Winx's half-sister Covent Garden who struggled in the conditions to finish second last. "He has really good natural ability, similar to Splintex and Invictus Salute, but with a fair bit of improvement to come,'' Newnham said of Sixgun. Meanwhile, Splintex has returned to work to prepare for the spring and Newnham is hoping he can improve on his last start Gr2 Arrowfield Sprint win and graduate to the top level which is likely, initially, to be the Gr1 Manikato Stakes. The Everest, if his form is good enough, is also an option.