MILLIONS RUN OUT OF LEFT FIELD

SUNDAY: December 29, 2024: HAWKESBURY mare Left Field’s last gasp city breakthrough at Royal Randwick yesterday has earned her a crack at a $1m interstate feature.

Leading trainer Brad Widdup announced plans to give the mare her chance against her own sex in the Magic Millions Fillies & Mares (1300m), to be run at set weights at the Gold Coast on Saturday week.

The now four-year-old daughter of Deep Field was a $240,000 purchase at the 2022 Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast by then Sydney trainer Mark Newnham, who relocated to Hong Kong last year after giving her only two starts as a two-year-old.

Left Field is raced by Frank Mittiga and his family and friends, and Newnham’s wife Donna is also a part-owner.

Widdup was left scratching his head after the mare ran the worst race of her career when 11th of 12 to Disneck (who won again at Randwick yesterday) in a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m) at that track on December 14.

“Left Field ran second at The Gong meeting at Kembla Grange on November 23 at her previous run, and the track was very hard that day,” he said this morning.

“The only thing I can say is that it appears as though she was feeling the effects of that because her Randwick performance was totally out of character.

“Left Field was disappointing on December 14, but you always have to forgive a horse for one bad run.

“Icebath was unplaced in The Invitation at Randwick in October 2022 and came out a week later and won the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington against her own sex.”

Widdup was pleased when he learned yesterday morning that a “Soft 5” rating was posted for Randwick (even though it had been upgraded to a Good 4 by the time Left Field’s race was run).

“I knew the cut out of the ground would really suit her and they ran along up front at a good speed, which also helped,” he said.

In a three-way thrilled, starting at $7 and ridden by Rachel King, Left Field cut it fine but arrived in the last bound to nab $2.60 favorite Jewellery and Queen Of The Mile ($4.40) in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m) against her own sex.

“Left Field loved coming up the rise, and I was praying in the last two strides that we would get there in time,” King said afterwards.

Widdup clinched his 33rd winner of the season and his career 390th and says Left Field deserves the opportunity to contest the rich Gold Coast race.

He is also considering sending Guzumped, who races in the same colours, north for the $500,000 The Wave (1800m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

“I will nominate him for a race at Randwick as well, and have a look at both fields,” Widdup said.

“But there’s a good chance he will go to Queensland. The Wave doesn’t appear to be the strongest race.”

Conditions of The Wave have been changed to a weight-for-age event for three and four-year-olds.