HE'S READY FOR CITY DEBUT
- John Curtis
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Hawkesbury’s leading trainer Brad Widdup hasn’t hesitated to put Young Mister Grace’s unbeaten record on the line by testing his promising three-year-old in Listed company for his city debut at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Dylan Gibbons, who has ridden the Anders colt in both his victories at Hawkesbury on September 25 (1000m Super Maiden Plate) and October 9 (1100m CG&E Benchmark 64 Handicap), partners him again in the Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m).
“Young Mister Grace has done really well since his last win a fortnight ago,” Widdup said today.
“He is in great order and has come up with the inside barrier, so why not have a crack in town.
“Win, lose or draw he is going to the paddock after this race.”
Notwithstanding Young Mister Grace’s obvious task stepping up from a Benchmark 64 Handicap to take on fellow three-year-old at set weights plus penalties, bookmakers are paying him plenty of respect.
He was at $4.80 this afternoon with TAB.com.au, second only to the filly Miss Freelove, a first-up Warwick Farm winner, who heads betting at $3.90.
Widdup has runners at both the Spring Champion Stakes meeting at Randwick, and at the corresponding Cox Plate program at The Valley.
Along with Young Mister Grace, he has Ruby Flyer (Filante Handicap, 1600m) and debutante Anthropoid (Kirkham Plate, 1000m) at Randwick, and Sunset Park (Group 3 Tesio Stakes, 2040m) in Melbourne.
Widdup’s son Cooper has taken Sunset Park south for her Valley assignment.
“Sunset Park has won three of her nine starts and hasn’t finished further back than fifth,” Widdup said.
“She has drawn an inside alley against her own sex, and we’re hoping to get some black type with her.”
As well as Young Mister Grace, Dylan Gibbons will ride both Ruby Flyer and Anthropoid.
“Ruby Flyer qualified for the Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Tuesday week by winning the Goulburn Cup (1400m) in August on a heavy track, and this will be his final lead-up,” Widdup said.
“He is definitely better on wet ground, and we need some rain for him to show that Goulburn Cup form.
“Anthropoid is a nice two-year-old colt by Prague ready to go to the races for the first time.
“He has trialled twice at Warwick Farm this month and has ability. I’m surprised he is at such big odds ($41 this afternoon after being $51 this morning)”.
Anthropoid fetched $180,000 at the Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast earlier this year, and is half-brother to Team Hawkes’ lightly-raced four-year-old Stagnum, who won on the Kensington track on October 8.
Anthropoid races in the same Mulberry colours as stablemate Jedibeel, who contested last Saturday’s $20m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.
“It was impossible for backmarkers to be in the finish the way the race was run,” Widdup said.
“I thought Jedibeel ran well, and he has pulled up well.
“We will go to the $3m Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) with him at Randwick on Saturday week.”
. Jockey Tommy Berry won four of the seven races at Hawkesbury today.
He was successful on hotpots Emballee ($1.26) and Spirit Of Wealth ($1.70), as well as Naifah ($2.90) and Probability Theory ($5).
The foursome took Berry to 12 winners in the first three months of the season, and he has put quite a distance between he and his rivals in this year’s Hawkesbury premiership.
Dylan Gibbons, with five winners, is closest to Berry.
