'Froggy' notches fourth Newmarket Handicap victory
Newitt's Saturday success in the iconic 1200m Flemington straight sprint represented his first Group 1 triumph since Extreme Choice's 2016 Moir Stakes win at Moonee Valley.
That year had already seen Newitt and The Quarterback capture the Newmarket Handicap, contributing to his impressive 34 Group 1 victories.
This latest result elevated Newitt outright as the jockey holding the record for most Newmarket Handicap wins, following prior successes on Miss Andretti (2007) and Shamexpress (2013).
Taking the lead immediately and sticking to the rail, the $19 chance Caballus repelled the $61 outsider Gallant Son by a long head, with $12 shot Angel Capital three-quarters of a length adrift in third place.
The jockey revealed strong emotions upon achieving his first elite win in quite some time.
"It's been a while, but I've been sitting equal leader on the most amount of Newmarket wins, probably the most historic races in Australia at the moment, apart from the Melbourne Cup, especially for sprinting," Newitt said.
"To be the most winningest rider, I'm very honoured.
"I was very happy after I'd gone 400, 500 metres. He pricked his ears, he was happy just bowling along at his own leisure.
"I probably opened him up a little bit earlier than what I said to the connections before the race, just so that I could get the buffer on the favourite, because I knew he'd be coming somewhere, but this bloke just held his gallop.
"He was challenged and just kept responding."
Newitt expressed gratitude to Darby Racing for the opportunity after Hugh Bowman couldn't meet the sprinter's 55kg impost on Saturday.
"The fortunes of being a lightweight rider," Newitt said.
"I was able to pick him up and yeah, (I'm) just very emotional."
The gelding Caballus launched his career with Chris Waller, was then bought online by Darby Racing, and shifted to Bjorn Baker.
Trainer Baker's racing manager, Luke Hilton, highlighted the gelding operation as key to unlocking Caballus's potential.
"Bjorn has done an amazing job with him and Darby (Racing) who picked him up as an on-line purchase," Hilton said.
"He did a good job as a colt, but he wasn't performing to his level, so we gelded him, gave him time and he's gone from strength to strength with each preparation.
"The more Bjorn has been able to work with him, the better he's got and he's really improved over the last six months and he's a Group 1 winner now.
"It's a great achievement by the team."
Visit the online bookmakers to find the best betting markets for the Newmarket Handicap.
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