This Wednesday, November 16, the early Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival action gets underway with the Listed Newmarket Handicap 2016.

Admiral (inside) is one of the top fancies for Wednesday night’s 2016 Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap at Launceston. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Not to be confused with the Melbourne Group 1 race by the same name in the autumn, this season’s $100,000 Listed Wordsmith Newmarket Handicap (1200m) runs at Launceston Racecourse as Race 6 at 9:30pm (local time) on Wednesday night.

The handicap sprint has attracted a full field of 14 hopefuls plus three emergencies.

Heading the Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap field and weights with 61kg is the returning Leon, Dean & Trent Wells-trained Geegees Blackflash.

The top-rated local galloper races for the first time since his second to Royal Rapture at the track over 1400m in May.

A veteran 10-year-old, the son of Clangalang has lined-up at Launceston 27 times to date for eight wins.

He was third in February’s Group 3 Launceston Cup (2400m) on the back of a Group 3 Hobart Cup (2400m) win last summer, the stayer having won only one of his six starts over Wednesday’s distance.

That win was in the 2011 edition of the Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap.

The stable have also accepted for Gee Gees Top Notch out wide in barrier 12, but into nine if the emergencies fail to gain a run.

Sigrid Carr is booked to ride the up-and-coming Wordsmith mare, the four-year-old coming off a first-up sixth when beaten under a length over 1100m at Hobart on November 1.

As a three-year-old Gee Gees Top Notch racked up a top record that included second placings in the Tasmanian Guineas, Thousand Guineas and Strutt Stakes.

She loves the Launceston track proven by her three wins and four seconds from nine starts, and the 1200m is her pet distance with the mare winning four-from-five over the meters.

Following Geegees Blackflash in the weights are the widely-drawn duo of Admiral (59.5kg) and Hellova Street (58.5kg) drawn in gates 13 and 14 respectively.

Barry Campbell’s Mossman five-year-old Admiral is another star Launceston track performer with eight wins and a second from 11 starts at the course.

He is also Group 1 performed in Melbourne having travelled up for a brave fifth to Wandjina at Flemington in last year’s Australian Guineas (1600m).

He is out to atone for his fifth in last year’s Newmarket Handicap when beaten 1.7 lengths, before going on to win four straight summer features in the Apple Isle.

The reigning Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap winner Hellova Street carried 57.5kg to victory in the race 12 months ago, and so goes up a kilo for his title defence this week.

The Scott Brunton-trained Helike six-year-old put the writing on the wall first-up on November 1 carrying 61kg to victory over 1100m at Hobart and has stellar form at Launceston (8-5-2-0) and over 1200m (8-4-2-1).

Brunton has also accepted for stablemate Lord Da Vinci (barrier 15), who gets in on the 54kg minimum, as well as the third emergency Step The Pedal.

Lord Da Vinci is a six-year-old son of Lonhro, the nicely-bred gelding having won his past four straight races in easier company, including over 1100m at Hobart on October 15 carrying 56.5kg.

He also won a November 8 trial over 900m at that track by nearly four lengths ahead of his first ever black-type assignment on Wednesday at career start number 28.

Stuart Gandy has three runners in the race including the rails-drawn Gee Gee Red Prince and Craig Newitt’s mount Geegees Doublejay who finished second and third respectively behind Hellova Street in Hobart’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.

See below for the full Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights – betting to be released shortly at our No. 1 recommended bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au.

2016 Tasmanian Newmarket Handicap Field & Barrier Draw

Launceston Race 6 – 16/11/2016