The Hunter field and barrier draw with 14 to run

Saturday marks the sixth running of the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) and the Newcastle feature has drawn together a competitive line up of 14 runners.

Coal Crusher winning The Hunter last year. Photo: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images.

Saturday marks the sixth running of the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) and the Newcastle feature has drawn together a competitive line up of 14 runners.

The Hunter was first run in 2019 when won by Godolphin mare Savatiano and since then it’s honour roll has proven the race to be a quality contest with other winners being – Sweet Deal (2020), Lost And Running (2021), Vilana (2022) and Coal Crusher last year.

This year the quality handicap will carry Group 2 status for the first time.

Heading up the field in the weights are Group 1 winner Private Eye, also an acceptor in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes in Melbourne, his stablemate and last year’s winner Coal Crusher, tough local Group 3 winner Rustic Steel and The Kosciuszko winner Far Too Easy.

At the other end of the weights on the 53kg limit is exciting Hawkes Racing-trained gelding Briasa.

The field for The Hunter is:

No. – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Barrier – Weight

1 – PRIVATE EYE – Joseph Pride – TBA – 14 – 60kg

2 – COAL CRUSHER – Joseph Pride – Nash Rawiller – 15 – 59kg

3 – RUSTIC STEEL – Kris Lees – TBA – 3 – 57.5kg

4 – FAR TOO EASY – David McColm – Kyle Wilson-Taylor – 13 – 56.5kg

5 – ROYAL MERCHANT – Ciaron Maher – Dylan Browne McMonagle – 2 – 54.5kg

6 – PHEARSON – Brad Widdup – TBA – 1 – 54.5kg

7 – COASTWATCH – Richard & Will Freedman – Regan Bayliss – 6 – 54kg

8 – CHARM STONE – SCRATCHED – 12 – 54kg

9 – COTEHELE – John O’Shea & Tom Charlton – Jason Collett – 7 – 54kg

10 – CHRYSAOR – Chris Waller – Kerrin McEvoy – 4 – 53.5kg

11 – DIAMOND DIESEL – Adam Duggan – TBA – 9 – 53kg

12 – FELIX MAJESTIC – Gary Nickson – Molly Bourke (a) – 8 – 53kg

13 – DANNY’S ST DARCI – Matthew Dale – TBA – 5 – 53kg

14 – BRIASA – Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes – Tyler Schiller – 11 – 53kg

15 – UZZIAH – Scott Aspery – TBA – 10 – 53kg

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Other feature races on the card are the Max Lees 2YO Classic (900m), Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) and Listed The Beauford (2300m).

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The Newcastle track was rated a soft (6) at acceptance time. The rail will be in the true position on Saturday.

Saturday’s 10-race program commences at 12.35pm with the final event to be run at 5.55pm.

The Bureau Of Meteorology forecast for Newcastle is.

Wednesday – Partly cloudy. 26.

Thursday – Partly cloudy. 23.

Friday – Partly cloudy. 23.

Saturday – Partly cloudy. 26.

CLICK HERE to get the fields and free formguide for the Newcastle meeting on Saturday.

Originally published as The Hunter field and barrier draw with 14 to run