Jockey Craig Newitt produced a thrilling front-running ride to steal the show in the 2023 Adelaide Cup aboard the Amy & Ash Yargi-trained roughie Rebel Racer.

2023 Adelaide Cup winner Rebel Racer was huge digging deep late to hold off the challengers as a 25/1 shot. Photo: Jenny Barnes.
Newitt was in the lead aboard the 25/1 outsider when they went around the turn for home in the 153rd running of the Group 2 $302,250 Adelaide Cup (3200m) looking a sitting duck at the top of the straight.
Symon Wilde‘s last start Launceston Cup winner Aurora’s Symphony ($12) came off the front-runner’s back to challenge over the final few hundred metres and looked to be wearing down the six-year-old son of Rebel Raider.
Aurora’s Symphony levelled up to Rebel Racer with 100m to go and the two stayers went stride for stride in a sensational battle to the line in the two mile classic.
Rebel Racer ($26) however was too good late, really digging deep and showing true guts to fight off the challenger and post an upset Adelaide Cup victory for his Mornington-based trainers.
In third completing the Adelaide Cup trifecta a length further back was Phillip Stokes‘ genuine two-miler Amade ($9) in another top performance over the distance from the rising ten-year-old.
Rebel Racer was a forgotten horse in Adelaide Cup betting this season, but firmly franked the form out of Melbourne having won his lead-up over 3000m at The Valley on February 24 by nearly four lengths.
The horse was formerly prepared by Mark & Levi Kavanagh before being snapped up for just $35,000 when purchased online two starts ago.
“I told everyone I honesty thought he was a really good chance and they wrote him off,” co-trainer Amy Yargi told the media post-win.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe we pulled that off.
“Beautiful ride. I was so happy when Grand Promenade was three-wide with no cover.
“I bought him to win a maiden hurdle at Warrnambool, I’m not even joking.
“He’s just kept on improving and improving and he was just crying out for a trip.
“It’s such a time-honoured race.”
Bought by Yargi Racing to win a maiden hurdle the tough stayer handed Newitt his maiden Adelaide Cup trophy and became the fifth stakes winner for his late sire Rebel Raider.
“I just went at a nice enough clip that I knew nothing would sort of whip,” Newitt told Racing.com after the victory.
“I knew there’d be a few moves there, there always is in this sort of race, but he just got into a beautiful rhythm, he pricked his ears and every time I asked him to improve a little bit he did.
“I got to about the 1400 (metres) and I actually started to build from before the 1400 because I wanted to be going before the backmarkers started to make their run.
“Geez he just kept going.
“Had some proper horses that on their class they looked well above but I was in a spot where I had to make them carry their weight a bit so with only 53 (kilos) on his back I was able to crank it up a fair way out.
“He was the last man standing and once Symon Wilde’s horse sort of drew level with me I knew I’d be stronger late, it was just whether he (Aurora’s Symphony) had a bit too much class but my big fella’s engine just kept ticking over.
“My bloke from the 1200 metre mark he never went any quicker but he definitely didn’t get any slower.
“They’ve obviously got jumping on the horizon for him but they’d probably prolong that for a little bit longer now.”
2023 Adelaide Cup Results & Finishing Order
Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | REBEL RACER | Amy & Ash Yargi | Craig Newitt | 9 | 53kg | $26 | |||
2 | 4 | AURORA’S SYMPHONY | Symon Wilde | Blaike McDougall | 0.3L | 1 | 56kg | $12 | ||
3 | 3 | AMADE (IRE) | Phillip Stokes | Zac Spain | 1.2L | 7 | 57kg | $9 | ||
4 | 6 | STAFFORD’S LAD | Daniel Morton | Chris Parnham | 1.8L | 11 | 54kg | $26 | ||
5 | 8 | HIGHLAND JAKK (NZ) | Robert Hickmott | Teo Nugent | 2.3L | 2 | 53kg | $5F | ||
6 | 1 | PERSAN | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Melham | 2.6L | 10 | 59kg | $7.50 | ||
7 | 9 | STARS OF CARRUM | Robbie Laing | Harry Grace | 2.9L | 6 | 53kg | $10 | ||
8 | 7 | TEAM CAPTAIN (IRE) | Matt Cumani | Dean Holland | 2.9L | 12 | 53kg | $20 | ||
9 | 13 | WAGON WHEEL (NZ) | Aaron Purcell | Lachlan Neindorf (a) | 3.5L | 3 | 53kg | $16 | ||
10 | 11 | TRUE MARVEL (FR) | Matthew Smith | Damien Thornton | 3.7L | 16 | 53kg | $18 | ||
11 | 2 | GRAND PROMENADE (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | John Allen | 4L | 13 | 58.5kg | $5.50 | ||
12 | 10 | SEBONNA | Peter Hardacre | Callan Murray | 9.2L | 8 | 53kg | $51 | ||
13 | 16 | BUSKER’S BALLAD | Ryan Balfour | Ms Alana Livesey (a) | 11.4L | 5 | 53kg | $101 | ||
14 | 12 | WHEELS (NZ) | Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas | Jason Holder | 12.8L | 4 | 53kg (cd 54kg) | $51 | ||
15 | 5 | CHALK STREAM (GB) | Chris Waller | Jye McNeil | 13.4L | 15 | 55kg | $16 | ||
16 | 14 | WOLF PRINCE | Grant Young | Ms Anna Jordsjo | 25.5L | 14 | 53kg | $201 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.