Newgate Sires Fire at Moonee Valley

Newgate Farm young guns Deep Field and Wandjina both posted stylish winners at the Moonee Valley meeting on Friday night with Meteorite impressive in the first race on the card, while brilliant filly Hearty Lass won a round of the Ladbroke's 55 second Challenge.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained Deep Field colt Meteorite was a short priced favourite to cast off maiden status and led all the way to win over 1200 metres by two and a half lengths at his third start.

"He put the writing on the wall with his first two starts and will take a fair bit of improvement out of this as he starts working it all out," said Calvin McEvoy.

"We've always thought he could be a player this spring, but at what level we're not sure yet.

"He has speed, but I think in time he'll get out to a mile."


Trained at Morphettville by John Hyam, lightly raced Wandjna filly Hearty Lass has always shown speed to burn in her three previous starts and delivered on that potential with a sizzling win in the Ladbrokes 55 second challenge over 950metres.

She proved too slick for her older rivals scoring a half length win and has now won two of four starts earning over $100,000 in prizemoney.

Winning rider Raquel Clark was full of praise for the filly.

"She's really tough this little horse and it's been great placement by John (Hyam) as she was accepted for Flemington tomorrow, but we thought second up she'd need to be fitter to take on those fillies up the straight, so this was a better option," Clark said.

A $40,000 Inglis Classic purchase from the Middlebrook Valley Lodge draft for her trainer and Cameron Cooke bloodstock, Hearty Lass is the fourth winner from stakes-winning Tale of the Cat mare Amazing Tale (USA).

Deep Field and Wandjina both stand at Newgate Farm this spring at fees of $44,000 and $22,000.