Hong Kong: Australian trainer Mark Newnham, a former jockey well known in his role as Gai Waterhouse’s assistant, is to become the newest addition to the Hong Kong training ranks for the 2023-24 racing season.
Newnham, 55, has been a regular figure in the Sydney championship’s top 10 since taking out his licence in 2016, since when his stable has produced standout performers Shadow Hero, Maid Of Heaven, Nakeeta Jane, Splintex and Quackerjack among nearly 400 wins, including over 40 at black-type level.
“I have always had a huge interest in Hong Kong racing and to me it is the pinnacle of racing worldwide,” said Newnham. “It’s something that I have aspired to, even before I took out a trainers’ licence on my own.”
The decision to license Newnham was announced on Friday morning [March 10] at Sha Tin by HKJC executive director Andrew Harding.
Newnham added: “The Hong Kong Jockey Club has proven to be a world leader in racing for a long time, so as a trainer, to me it’s the top of the tree and is what I have aspired to achieve – for me, personally, it is an achievement getting here but there’s still a lot of hard work to do yet.
“The Club here, obviously has great talent, great facilities and ultra-competitive racing every Wednesday and every Sunday – to be given the opportunity to come here, live and work in a vibrant city like Hong Kong, it’s something that I treasure and very much will enjoy,” Newnham said.
During his time with Cummings, Newnham worked with several equine giants including Campaign King, Beau Zam, Tristanagh, Sky Chase and 1990 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule.
While with Waterhouse, Newnham rode the exceptional Pierro in trackwork throughout his successful 2013 Golden Slipper campaign and career before doing the same for 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente.
“I’ve had a few different roles in racing,” said Newnham. “I was a jockey for 20 years but I spent time working with the great Bart Cummings and I had the responsibility of travelling with a lot of his horses and his best horses.
“From there I had a successful apprenticeship and then moved to be one of Gai Waterhouse’s stable jockeys and from there to being her assistant trainer for five years. “The five years I had with Gai were very successful – we won three Golden Slippers and a Melbourne Cup, so it wasn’t until 2016 that I decided to branch out on my own.
“We’re approaching 400 winners in that seven seasons and 40 stakes wins, so it’s been very successful and a lot of that success is due to my Hong Kong ownership base.”Newnham has built strong Hong Kong relationships with a great deal of his success coming in tandem with HK owners, while several of his past gallopers have made their way to the Far East to enjoy highly rewarding careers for their new trainers at Sha Tin.
He explained: “There’s quite a lot of horses that are in the system here that have been through my stables in Sydney – two this season, Nearly Fine – the Happy Valley specialist and The Irishman – another horse that has come through my stable.
“Originally, when I had started training, Mission Tycoon had won the Classic Cup – he had two starts for me and won them both before he came here, his owner Paul Cheng still has many horses in my stable.”
Newnham’s arrival will lift the current HK training roster from 22 to 23. “The trainers’ ranks in Hong Kong are ultra-competitive,” commented Harding. “We take the most elite trainers – people who have proven themselves in overseas countries and we bring them here, and then we have here the best local talent.”
• Visit the Hong Kong Jockey Club website
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