King Lotus ready to keep Newnham in the winning groove

TRAINER Mark Newnham must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when Max Que finally got the stable off the mark for the 2025/26 season.

It may be early days in the current campaign, but Newnham had failed to strike with his first fourteen runners, with seven of them starting at single figure odds.

After that, winners came like London buses, with another stable winner obliging in the next race to give the yard a major confidence boost.

Newnham sends half a dozen raiders to the Valley with Excellence Value sure to be on everyone’s shortlist with Zac Purton aboard in the Community Chest Cup Handicap (1.40pm) over the extended mile.

The vibes coming from the stable suggest Excellence Value will improve this season, but he faces stiff opposition from I Can, Star Contact and ANOTHER ZONDA.

The latter appreciated the step up to the extended mile for the first time when a convincing winner from similar opposition in June and is capable of defying a penalty.

The Newnham stable may have better fortune with lightly raced KING LOTUS who steps out onto the turf in division three of the Hoe Mei Handicap (2.45pm) over six furlongs.

The four-year-old caught the eye when running down Galaxy Witness on his second career start over six furlongs in May and subsequently had little chance from an outside draw behind smart Dazzling Fit a fortnight later.

Recent track work, including an encouraging trial, suggest the son of Royal Meeting looks in rude health for his comeback run and in an average looking contest where probably Vulcanus is his biggest threat, he can get back into the winning groove.