MONDAY: November 17, 2025: ALL in a day’s work for a budding young jockey! Hawkesbury apprentice Poppie Gorton rode in the third heat at her home track trial session this morning, then headed off to the TAB race meeting at Nowra for two rides for her master, leading trainer Brad Widdup. After finishing fourth in the second race on Kosrae ($4.80), the 19-year-old backed up four races later and posted an important milestone in her career. Gorton won the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1

SUNDAY: November 16, 2025: FOR a relatively small stable, winning three races in a season wouldn’t be a bad effort. But to do so in only 10 days is something to shout about. Little wonder Hawkesbury trainer Peter Green said he was “on top of the world” after Bold and Blazen had doubled up at Wyong today. Again ridden by Grant Buckley, Bold and Blazen followed up his $19 success in a Super Maiden Plate (1200m) at Gosford on November 6 by taking the CG&E Class 1 Handicap (1350m

MONDAY: November 10, 2025: HAWKESBURY’S Evergreen Turf Ladies Day Cup is here to stay on a Saturday. A near 4000 strong crowd voted with their feet last Saturday, ensuring the switch from a traditional Thursday date proved a winner beyond doubt. “The new date was well promoted and it was a fantastic day where everyone on course enjoyed themselves,” Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive James Heddo said this afternoon. “Being able to run a $200,000 Listed race on a Saturday com

SUNDAY: November 9, 2025: BRAD Widdup was getting annoyed! Hawkesbury’s leading trainer couldn’t fathom why well-bred mare Sunset Park was getting beaten in midweek and Saturday Midway races in Sydney. “I was frustrated,” Widdup said today. “I knew she had the ability, but wasn’t getting the job done. “I started wondering whether there was something wrong.” A trip to Melbourne changed everything. To some observers, it might have seemed simply having a “throw at the stumps” ta

FRIDAY: November 7, 2025: TRAINER Paul Niceforo says it’s time for Territory Express to “repay” at Hawkesbury tomorrow.  Last year’s brilliant Provincial-Midway Championships Final winner goes back to the races in the $200,000 Listed Evergreen Turf Ladies Day Cup (1500m) for only his third start in 12 months. To say he has been a real source of frustration to his trainer and connections would not even be close to the mark because of hopefully his past habit of not leaving the

THURSDAY: November 6, 2025: BRAD Widdup had never been to a Perth yearling sale until he and major client, Mulberry Racing’s Mike Gregg, went there last year. They purchased four fillies; only two have raced so far and one of them, Bondi Blossom, got off the mark at Gosford today. Starting a $4.40 third favorite at her sixth start, Bondi Blossom (Christian Reith) broke through in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (1600m), comfortably defeating Kembla Grange four-year-old and $2.

THURSDAY: November 6, 2025: SYDNEY won out over Melbourne as Terry Croft at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday attempts to clinch his first Golden Slipper Stakes runner. The long-standing Hawkesbury trainer opted to stay home with his debutante winner Thrill Hunter for the $1m Golden Gift (1100m) rather than head south for the $400,000 Inglis Banner (1000m) on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington. “There’s not much difference between the Sydney and Melbourne fo

TUESDAY: November 4, 2025: HAWKESBURY husband and wife trainers Mitch and Desiree Kearney will front up at Flemington on Thursday with their first Group 1 runner in Melbourne – with ample encouragement from jockey Rachel King. Team Kearney arrived in Melbourne late this morning with their three-year-old filly Sheeza Diva, whom King will ride in the $1m Crown Oaks (2500m). Sheeza Diva returns to her own sex in the fillies’ classic after taking on the “boys” at her last two sta

MONDAY: November 3, 2025: BRAD Widdup is hoping a late riding switch will help him win Royal Randwick’s Big Dance tomorrow with his first runner. Hawkesbury’s leading trainer says he was fortunate to be able to book Jason Collett for Ruby Flyer in the $3m 1600m feature when Dylan Gibbons took the mount on Lord Of Biscay for leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, with whom he served his apprenticeship. Gibbons qualified Ruby Flyer for the Big Dance when he partnered him to victo

THURSDAY: OCTOBER 30, 2025: JACK Pilkington wasn’t going to be caught napping! The Hawkesbury trainer had set Alabama State for the $500,000 Four Pillars Midway at Rosehill Gardens 12 months ago, and was understandably downcast when his then three-year-old was left with trying to overcome barrier 18 in a capacity 20-horse field. Alabama State had no luck and in the circumstances did a terrific job to finish fourth to Kingston Charm (beaten less than a length). “It broke his h

TUESDAY: October 28, 2025: IT’S a pretty good habit to share! Hawkesbury trainers Brad Widdup and Jason Attard are making a practice of winning races at the same home track meetings. For the third time this season they did it again today; the only difference being that Widdup prepared a double. Having defeated all comers last season to become the first local trainer to win the Hawkesbury premiership in three decades, Widdup’s victories with Blue Eyes Brigid ($2.45 favorite) a

TUESDAY: October 28, 2025: JAMES Ponsonby was prepared to “take a punt” when he noticed an unraced three-year-old by Cox Plate winner Ocean Park listed for sale through Inglis Digital in January last year. Named Drunken Sailor, he had fetched $220,000 when sold as a yearling in New Zealand. At Queanbeyan yesterday, Drunken Sailor clinched his fourth victory for his Hawkesbury trainer and boosted his earnings to nearly $100,000. Not bad at all when it is considered Ponsonby pu