Racing: Grieving son claims Guineas victory and hearts

In the uncanny way it so often does, the racing game again got it right at Flemington yesterday.

And every punter, every owner, every trainer and tout on the track stood to acknowledge it.

Craig Newitt, the jockey who stunned the racing world and earned its admiration a week ago at Caulfield, won every heart at the track as he claimed the most treasured victory of his career.

"That was for the old man. He knows it. It's for him."

Newitt's father Guy died in a car accident last Saturday, his son only learning of his death half an hour before he went out to ride in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield. He finished second on Light Fantastic and returned to nervous applause.

In an atmosphere even more testing than that at Caulfield, Newitt won the Group One Australian Guineas on the appropriately-named Heart Of Dreams yesterday.

And the crowd welcomed him loudly in a scene reminiscent of Damien Oliver's 2002 Melbourne Cup victory on Media Puzzle.

Just as Oliver acknowledged his brother Jason who died after a riding accident only days before that Cup, Newitt looked to the sky and blew a kiss.

Newitt had been stony-faced and composed after the Futurity, but he struggled after the Guineas.

At Caulfield, he said, he hadn't been too sure what was happening.

"It's a bit of a haze," he said.

"But people have been fantastic, everyone's sent letters and flowers.

"I wish I could thank them all."

Heart of Dreams trainer Mick Price couldn't speak about his jockey last week, but yesterday he didn't want to stop.

"It just shows how tough the kid is," Price said.

"There was nothing anyone could have done to stop him going out on that horse at Caulfield. I tried, but I'm glad he didn't listen."

Newitt's father will be buried on Tuesday, his son's 24th birthday.

Newitt finished third aboard Aichi in the A$1 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m) before landing the Guineas (1600m).

"He rode super in the Newmarket. It's all about Craig," Price said.

"Speaking on his behalf he's happy to just get next Tuesday over with and get back into it. It shows how tough that kid is to come out and ride such a perfect race.

"We've spoken about him getting better and ousting D Oliver from where he sits and hopefully this is one step on the way to doing that."

Newitt said he had told his father that they wouldn't beat the Show A Heart gelding in the Guineas after he ran third to Fravashi in the Group Two Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 21.

Star West Australian sprinter Scenic Blast clinched a trip to Royal Ascot in England when he won the Newmarket Handicap.

The winner of the Group One Lightning Stakes (1000m) at the same track two starts ago, Scenic Blast was again perfectly ridden by Steven Arnold and charged home to down early leader Swiss Ace, the last-start Oakleigh Plate winner, and 3-year-old Aichi.

Trainer Dan Morton confirmed Scenic Blast would have a short rest before being prepared for the Royal Ascot carnival in June.

In the Group One Australia Cup, Niconero grabbed a nose victory from the favourite Theseo. Third a short head away was Zagreb.

Outstanding mare Tuesday Joy showed she would not be out of place on the world stage when she landed her fourth Group One victory in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick.

Tuesday Joy will shortly embark on a campaign taking in top races in Dubai and France.

On the line Tuesday Joy safely held Vision And Power with Gallant Tess third.

- AAP