Newitt has been engaged to ride the David Brideoake-trained Hardham in Saturday’s $3 million Caulfield Cup.

Although he’s ridden 35 group 1 winners, Newitt is yet to taste success in the world’s toughest 2400-metre handicap.

He has ridden in seven Caulfield Cups since 2002, with his best result a third on the Gai Waterhouse-trained Tullamore in 2011.

His long connection to the race goes back to another era.

In his first Caulfield Cup, his rival jockeys included Jim Cassidy, Greg Childs, Darren Gauci, Brian York, Brett Prebble, Steven King and Michael Rodd.

Hardham, a $51 chance, was placed in the AJC Derby last season and was a Flemington winner two starts ago.

Newitt has ridden at five Tasmanian meetings since returning home and won seven races.

He is riding as a freelance and will have mounts at Mowbray for Team Wells, Bill Ryan, Barry Campbell, Scott Brunton and Cameron Thompson.

His shortest-priced runner is the Brunton-trained Box Of Frogs in the Benchmark 82 Handicap.

Newitt had his first ride on Box Of Frogs when he easily won an open handicap in Hobart on September 24.

The lightly-raced six-year-old drops in class on Wednesday night but goes up 2.5kg.

Newitt also has strong prospects on the Campbell-trained Axion in the Benchmark 62 Handicap.

The former Canberra-trained galloper has an interesting form card – at his first start at Warwick Farm in 2015 he ran third to Redzel, winner of Saturday’s $10 million The Everest.

BOTRA Tasmania is continuing to raise funds to support Matilda Rawlings whose mother Sharyn died suddenly last month.

Sharyn was Tasmania’s leading female driver in the early 2000s and won almost 100 races before her career was cut short by a serious fall at the Carrick trials

She was living in Victoria with partner Andrew Rawlings and daughter Matilda when she died aged 42.

BOTRA has set up a trust fund to assist Matilda with the cost of her education.

There have been a number of fund-raising activities and some participants in Tasmania and Victoria have donated their driving fees from recent meetings.

Details on how to make a donation can be found on the BOTRA Facebook page.

BOTRA, which represents breeders, owners, trainers and reinsmen, is also conducting a membership drive.

The cost is only $30 and those who sign up go into the draw for some valuable prizes.