Newcastle (AW) Racing Report – Tapeta Standard Surface

Going: Tapeta Standard
Weather: Cloudy
Wind: Slight, half against
Non-Runners: 3

Newcastle’s evening all-weather fixture produced a mix of competitive handicaps, a notable 40/1 shock, and doubles for trainer David O’Meara and jockey Conor Whiteley. Racing was generally slower than standard throughout the card, with every contest returning times several seconds outside the course standard.

Gemini Man Strikes in Opener

The Living North Magazines Classified Stakes over 1m 2f opened proceedings with Gemini Man landing the spoils for trainer Iain Jardine and jockey Andrew Mullen. Sent off at 5/1, the winner showed plenty of determination to defeat Baldosa by three-quarters of a length, with outsider Millbuie staying on for third at 16/1.

Favourite Lawmans Blis failed to make an impact, finishing 4th as the race was run in a time of 2m 15.52s.

Rubellite Edges Tight Finish

The Living North Christmas Fair Handicap over 1m 4½f saw a thrilling finish as Rubellite got the better of Havachoc by a neck. Trained by Stephen Hanlon and ridden by Conor Whiteley, the 4/1 winner battled gamely to hold off the late challenge, while favourite Ned Broy was only a short head further back in third.

Dontwaste A Moment Delivers Sprint Success

In the Penny Bakery Handicap, Dontwaste A Moment justified market support with a strong display over the minimum trip. Barry McHugh guided the Ivan Furtado-trained runner to a three-quarter-length victory over Pivotal Terms, while Golden Havana filled third.

Favourite Star Noir disappointed at 7/4, finishing 4th in a six-runner contest.

Auntie Jo Gives Whiteley a Double

Conor Whiteley completed a riding double when steering favourite Auntie Jo to a convincing success in the Penny On The Move Handicap.

The 5/2 market leader, trained by David O’Meara, travelled strongly throughout before pulling clear to score by 2¾ lengths from A Lady Forever, with What What What taking third.

The race was reduced by the withdrawals of Hyrcanian and Let’s Go Hugo, leaving six runners to go to post.

Criminal Shore Springs Surprise

The feature mile handicap produced one of the more competitive finishes of the evening as Criminal Shore scored at 17/2 for trainer David O’Meara and jockey Paul Mulrennan.

The winner denied 20/1 shot Chuzzlewit by half a length, while favourite Military Leader had to settle for third despite attracting strong support.

Dinah Myte Lands Massive Upset

The standout performance of the evening came in the Penny Hotels Handicap, where Dinah Myte caused a major upset at 40/1.

Ridden by George Bass for trainer John Gallagher, the winner edged out favourite Barleybrown by half a length, with Abu Royal completing a remarkable outsider-filled frame at 50/1.

The result produced huge returns for Tricast and Trifecta punters, including a Tricast dividend exceeding £7,000 and a Trifecta payout of more than £4,100.

Meeting Summary

Trainer Double: David O’Meara (Auntie Jo, Criminal Shore)

Jockey Double: Conor Whiteley (Rubellite, Auntie Jo)

Longest-Priced Winner: Dinah Myte (40/1)

Biggest Outsider Placed: Abu Royal (50/1) in third

Favourite Performance: Only two favourites were successful on the card, highlighting a challenging evening for punters.

Tote Returns

Placepot: £189.30 to a £1 stake

Quadpot: £55.00 to a £1 stake

Newcastle’s Tapeta surface once again delivered competitive racing, with several closely fought finishes and a memorable shock courtesy of Dinah Myte’s 40/1 triumph on an entertaining evening of all-weather racing.