Australia: Never Talk seeks qualifying berth to Provincial Championship Stakes

Never Talk had a flashy start to her career in Australia, winning five of her first six races from May 2020 to January 2021. The last year has been the tricky part.

Never Talk is winless in her last 11 starts, but six of those were group stakes, including a second and two third-place finishes.

A little class relief may be appreciated when Never Talk starts in a seven-furlong qualifying race at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday for the $360,200 Provincial Championship Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on April 9.

The Provincial Championship Stakes, also at seven furlongs, is restricted to horses from small- to medium-sized stables based in the state of New South Wales. Australia’s leading stables are excluded from the series as judged by wins, or success in group-level stakes. The first two finishers in the trial races earn berths in the final.

Never Talk, a 4-year-old Australian-bred filly by No Nay Never is trained by Kris Lees at Newcastle. This will be the second start of the month for Never Talk, who was third in the Group 3 Wenona Girl Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on March 5. Never Talk was beaten about 2 3/4 lengths by 2-1 favorite Belluci Babe.

At Newcastle, Never Talk will be ridden for the first time by James McDonald, the leading rider at tracks in New South Wales. The booking of McDonald will ensure Never Talk is well-backed. Never Talk will race from off the pace and will be joined at the back of the field early by probable favorite Mayrose, a 3-year-old filly who has won her last two starts.

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Mayrose has won 3 of 6 starts for trainer John Sargent and faces a class test against this field. Mayrose has started at seven furlongs once, finishing ninth of 12 in the listed Reg Allen Stakes at Randwick in October. The result should not be judged too harshly. Mayrose was given a rest following that loss and is unbeaten since.

The Newcastle race drew a field of 12, including the Lees-trained Cristal Breeze, who won the Provincial Championship final last April but has not raced since finishing ninth at 100-1 in a lucrative handicap at a mile at Eagle Farm Racecourse in October.

Newcastle has an eight-race program beginning at 10:15 p.m. Eastern, or 7:15 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.