Trainer Brendon Newport records a rare double

By Jordan Gerrans

In the space of 90 minutes, Brendon Newport’s winning tally as a trainer went from zero to hero.

The 30-year-old dual licence holder went into Tuesday’s races in Queensland – which coincide with Melbourne Cup day – without a winner to his name as a trainer.

By mid-afternoon, he suddenly had two.

And, the victories came at tracks that were around 750kms away from each other.

In claiming his first winner, Newport did it in a unique and special way.

With the glut of racing held on Tuesday, they came at Gladstone and Charleville.

Marty Awha was the winning galloper at Gladstone while Nutso did the job on the new racing surface at Charleville.

Technically he trained his first winner at Gladstone as that race was run at 1:05pm, with the Charleville triumph coming just over an hour later in a completely different area of the state.

“It was very funny because I did not know the first horse won,” Newport said.

Newport was at the Charleville track with his gallopers while fellow Miles-based trainer Maleah Hill took his other runners to Gladstone for him.

He had a runner in the opener at Charleville – who ran last – and as he was busy saddling up Nutso for the second event, his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

“I got a phone call telling me after I had my first runner at Charleville for the day,” he recalls.

“I had one in the first race and I was trying to get everything done with him and I was wondering why my phone was going off.”

Interestingly, Newport was not in the saddle for either of the wins, with emerging apprentice Nikki Olzard in the seat on the sand at Gladstone while veteran bush rider Tim Brummell did the steering at Central Warrego Race Club.

Newport – a relatively lightweight hoop – is currently on the sidelines from race riding and track work after recently suffering a concussion.

Both gallopers won in maiden grade over sprint trips.

“I was very stoked, it was a bit of a bummer that I wasn’t there,” Newport said of the Gladstone win.

“But, you need to place the horses right and it was the right race each for them to go to.

“I didn’t want the two horses to run into each other – you need to keep the owners happy as they pay the bills.

“It was easier to separate them on the day and see how they went.”

Nutso was a cheap purchase for Newport and his connections at $700 and won by more than five lengths on Tuesday.

Nutso’s owners were able to be at Charleville on Tuesday to celebrate the win, which Newport said was special as they have become close friends with those within his stable.

Newport is hopeful of being back in the saddle on Roma Cup day later this month following his concussion recovery.

The jockey became dual licenced earlier this year and started his first runner in a race at Longreach on their big Cup day in late September, which is conducted as a TAB meeting.

It did not take long for the 30-year-old to nab his maiden victory as a trainer, with the breakthrough coming just over a month later.

Newport and partner Sarah Robbins – who is an apprentice jockey – have recently relocated to Miles and are training out of the property that the leading country barn of Bevan Johnson previously used.

That is when the idea came about to take out a dual licence.

“I wanted to have something different and do something else,” Newport said.

“I am always doing someone else’s horses so I thought I may as well have a crack myself. I am really enjoying it.”

The Kiwi-native – Newport – completed his apprenticeship under Matt Kropp on the Darling Downs and has five gallopers in work of his own.

He has one city winner as a jockey on his resume and has predominantly ridden on the country and provincial circuit throughout his career.