Mark Newnham

Trainer Mark Newnham celebrated a Group 1 breakthrough in Hong Kong on Sunday as stable star My Wish (Flying Artie) ran out a determined winner of the HK$24-million FWD Champions Mile. Breaking from stall 10, My Wish eased to the tail of the field as Copartner Prance (Epaulette) dictated the early gallop ahead of defending champion Red Lion (Belardo). Turning for home, fan favourite Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) made his move in search of a seventh career victory at the top level, while jockey Hugh Bowman angled My Wish into...

The scene is unmistakably Hong Kong. A field of high-class Thoroughbreds thunders down a lush turf straight, the pounding of hooves echoing against a grandstand and a large diamond-vision screen. To a casual viewer with no sound on, this is racing at Sha Tin. But as the horses pull up, no skyscrapers loom over the backstretch, and the stands are desperately empty. There is no Shing Mun River here; it is a barrier trial at Conghua, and for the horses involved, the transition between these two worlds has become part...

Crowning a memorable week for trainer Mark Newnham, Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) vindicated Hugh Bowman's faith with a record-breaking success in the HK$26-million BMW Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on Sunday. Owned by the Ibis Syndicate, Invincible Ibis was given a ground-saving ride by Bowman, before finishing strongly to overhaul the long-time leader Numbers (Tivaci) by 1 1/4 lengths, clocking a rapid time of 1:59.33, a new record for the Hong Kong Derby since the race distance was changed to 2,000 metres in 2000, eclipsing Massive Sovereign's mark of 1:59.85,...

The progressive My Wish (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) sat a trip handy to the pace, took over with 200 metres left to run and held off a rails rally from the outposted Divano (Aus) (Brave Smash {Jpn}) to take out the first leg of the 4-year-old Classic series in Hong Kong, the HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile on Friday's Chinese New Year program at Sha Tin. It was a first feature win in the ultra-competitive environment for Australian ex-pat trainer Mark Newnham in his second season and for South Africa's...

Having been officially recognized as the world's top-rated sprinter in London earlier this week, Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}) figures difficult to beat in defence of his title in Sunday's G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. The 5-year-old added last season's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup in March and the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize the following month, but took a pair of defeats under big weights in his first two starts this season. More workmanlike than brilliant in besting Victor the Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in the G2...

It's a move that has already worked well for Johnny Allen, and swapping Ireland for Australia also seems to be paying off for Robbie Dolan. Champion apprentice last year in Sydney, Dolan is attached to the rising stable of successful jockey-turned-trainer Mark Newnham, who has boxes at both Randwick and Warwick Farm. The pair combined last Saturday to win the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint with Splintex (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) to give Dolan the biggest win of his career to date during the second weekend of The Championships. "That was my...