‘Our great horse’: Coal Crusher fires again for special Hunter win

3 weeks ago 4

By Craig Kerry

November 15, 2025 — 5.59pm

Some things in life – like a father and son’s special connection – are more important than money.

But it’s always a bonus when the source of that connection also becomes the first horse to win the $1 million The Hunter twice.

Jockey Chad Schofield and Brave Pride celebrate Coal Crusher’s Hunter win.

Two years after his front-running win in Newcastle’s premier race, Coal Crusher repeated the dose on Saturday for Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride and his son, Brave, who is a carer, part-owner and strapper for the eight-year-old gelding.

Without a win since his Hunter triumph in 2023, Coal Crusher was a $5.50 TAB chance and led under Chad Schofield before rallying late to hold off stablemate Accredited by three-quarters of a length. Newcastle trainer Kris Lees’ Brudenell was third.

The victory capped a “groundbreaking” spring for Pride, who won the Champions Mile with Ceolwulf last week at Flemington to give the trainer a third group 1 of the season.

Brave said Coal Crusher’s win was even better.

“He’s our great horse,” Joe said. “People might look at him from the sidelines and say he’s taken two years to win another race, but I think he’s picked up over a $1 million in those two years, so he’s a fantastic money spinner.

“Not only that, he’s a constant source of conversation between myself and my 19-year-old son, which a lot of people don’t necessarily have. There’s a real connection there between Brave and the horse.

“I’m really proud of this horse. He was brave, he had the big weight to carry and he kept rallying and it was only inside that last 100 I realised it was ours and that’s real relief.”

He said Coal Crusher, now with almost $2.8 million in earnings, would likely return for a fifth Hunter day. He won a benchmark handicap the year before his win and he was third last year.

“This is his race and I’d love to think we can have him back for it again next year,” he said. “He’s an old horse, but he’s got nothing else to do, so we’ll keep him around.”

Pride was thrilled with the runs of Accredited and Estadio Mestalla, which finished well for sixth and is likely to back-up in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla next Saturday.

John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained favourite Yorkshire ($3.40) finished last and was found to have suffered cardiac arrhythmia.

Chris Waller-trained Asterix ($14) won the next race, the listed $300,000 Beauford (2300m), for a first victory since claiming the Avondale Cup in New Zealand in February 2024.

It gave Waller a double after Sun God’s win in the 1850m benchmark 88.

Derby hopes lifted with Spring success

The Bjorn Baker stable had its Derby ambitions with Green Spaces boosted when the Street Boss colt raced away with the group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.

Coming off a 1625m win at Wyong, the Godolphin talent started a $4 second favourite in the $250,000 race for three-year-olds and came from midfield to put three lengths on his rivals. The win gave jockey Rachel King a double on the day after she won the Midway on Djapana.

Baker assistant trainer Luke Hilton said Green Spaces, now with three wins in six starts, would likely go for a spell before an autumn campaign.

“He’s got a staying pedigree, and I said after Hawkesbury [two starts ago] he might be a Derby horse,” Hilton said.

Rachel King pilots Green Spaces to victory in Newcastle.

“He was brilliant today so we’ll just wait and see if he keeps that brilliance or whether he stays further. He’s still immature too, so he’s going to get stronger and the best is yet to come.

“He’s exciting, and the best part of him is he’s got better and better. We thought he was going well into Hawkesbury [when fourth], then he came out of Hawkesbury improved into [Wyong] and we went there with plenty of confidence. Since [Wyong], he struts around at home like he owns the joint. And we were really confident he was going to run well today.”

Seeiaye delays ultimate gear change

Randwick trainer Peter Snowden was looking to the $3 million Magic Millions Classic with Seeiaye after he dodged a gelding operation, for now, by winning the Max Lees Classic (1200m) at Newcastle on Saturday.

The $4.20 favourite led the 900m race for two-year-olds, all first-starters, under Josh Parr on the way to a one and three-quarter length win from Mystical. It gave Snowden a third win in the race named after the late Newcastle trainer.

The Russian Revolution colt, which has tennis star Nick Kyrgios among his owners, has proven a handful and Snowden believed he would still be eventually gelded.

“You’d love to keep this horse a colt, but you know deep down it’s not going to work,” Snowden said. “[At 900m] you can get away with it, but when you are against real horses, real class, it will bring you undone.”

Conners lands happy homecoming

Champion trainer Clarry Conners had a first win back, and a collect, at Newcastle since being inducted into the region’s racing hall of fame in 2023 when Djapana scored an upset in the Midway Handicap (1600m).

A $23 chance, the five-year-old mare came from back in the field to beat Perfect Justice by a half-length.

Conners, an Australian Racing Hall of Famer and four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer, was born in Newcastle and spent his early years in the region before making his mark in Sydney.

“It’s the first race I’ve won here since then, but I’ve been back a few times,” Conners said of his Newcastle and Hunter Racing Hall of Fame induction.

“I thought she would run very well and I had a little wager on her myself. It’s good to be back here and on a big day like this, The Hunter day at Newcastle, and be back on my home ground.

“She’s a good little mare. It’s taken a long time for her to mature, but the owners have been very patient and she’ll go on to better things than this.”