Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
Live sport on SN this weekendThe weight didn't beat Tentyris in the Newmarket... It was the race shape
Connor Scanlon • March 8th, 2026 11:59 am
Tentyris failed to become the second three-year-old in history to win the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) with 57kg on his back.
The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained colt closed as the $2.20 favourite with Sportsbet, however the race shape didn’t suit his backmarker running style.
With 400m to go, Tentyris nearly had the entire field ahead of him, and jockey Mark Zahra went to make the move, however, the three-year-old was boxed in by a wall of horses surrounding him.
At the 300m mark, the son of Street Boss finally had fresh air in front of him, but it was too late.
Despite a noble sprint home, Tentyris finished fifth, 1.52 lengths behind the winner Caballus.
Speaking on RSN’s Correct Weight, Nick Noonan exclaimed that it wasn’t the weight which got Tentyris beaten – it was the race shape.
“I don't think the 57kg got him beat, I think it was just the race shape,” he said.
“He got a long way back. He was sort of held up at a key stage where I would've thought at the 400m, Mark Zahra probably would've loved to just get that gap a little bit earlier when Wodeton was sort of running around like a drunken sailor.
“The gap comes, but he's given Caballus a good 8 lengths.
“It was just too big a task to run them down, the way the track played.
“He's one of these horses that could be an absolute superstar, but he's got the racing pattern where he's not going to win every race he runs in.
“I think he was just a victim of circumstances there.”
Trav Noonan agreed with his brother, even stating that Tentyris’ loss was still a superb performance in a Group 1 race.
“I think you've also got to factor in that he's pulled up with cardiac arrhythmia, which adds even more merit to the run,” Noonan added.
“The race was just not set up for those back in the field. This race, from a times perspective, was absolutely run to suit those on speed.
“He's the only horse really from the back of the field… He's the closest of the closers to run 1.5 lengths away in fifth spot, and he's carried 57kg.
“Like this is a very, very good performance.
“His performance in defeat is as good a performance in defeat as you will get in a Group 1 race.”
