Captains Knock pictured winning The Steel City Cup at Newcastle. Photo by Brett Atkins
Brad Hewitt’s star pacer Captains Knock strengthened his grip on the TAB Carnival of Cups series with a powerful win in last night’s $60,000 Steel City Cup at Newcastle, edging him another step closer to the coveted $1 million bonus.
Fresh off a blistering sub-1:50 performance at Menangle the week prior, Captains Knock arrived at Newcastle’s Carnival of Cups as the horse to beat—and he delivered in style in track record time.
Despite again facing a classy field and navigating the wide draw, the five-year-old entire proved far too strong, lifting late to claim the second leg of the five-meeting Carnival.
Captains Knock clocked 1:54.2 to win the 2550m feature, lowering the previous track record of 1:55.1 held by Zeuss Bromac since 2023.
Hewitt, who has the horse in career-best condition, was full of praise for his in-form runner.
“He’s just in the zone right now,” Hewitt said post-race.
“We came here confident he would run well, but he just keeps stepping up. To win another Cup and keep the million-dollar dream alive is really special.”
The victory also extended Captains Knock’s perfect Carnival of Cups campaign, having already claimed the opening leg at Wagga on November 14.
With the next leg of the series at Bathurst on January 30, Hewitt will keep the five-year-old ticking over and is even considering an interstate trip to Victoria.
"He thrives on consistent racing so we're not going to baby him too much and keep him at home,” said Hewitt.
Last night’s Steel City Cup headlined a massive night of racing and entertainment at Newcastle, with a strong crowd on hand to enjoy performances by rock icons The Screaming Jets, ARIA Award winner Alex Lloyd, and Golden Guitar winner Max Jackson, as part of the Carnival’s vibrant event offering.
The $75,000 TAB Regional Championship Hunter Final was also a feature on the card, won by the Anthony Missen-trained Grosso Naso.
