About Us
Brad Widdup
The words of the late Guy Walter, the 35-times Group 1 winning trainer who died suddenly in 2014, kept ringing in Brad Widdup's ears. He said you needed 70 to 80 boxes if you wanted to be competitive in Sydney racing.
Our Team
Cooper, Brad, Hunter
It's a family training story now three generations deep — from father Pat in Albury, to Brad, and now sons Cooper and Hunter working alongside him in the stable.
The team has also been strengthened this year by two significant appointments, both joining after previous roles as assistant trainers at Godolphin Australia — the same stable where Brad himself spent close to a decade learning under Peter Snowden and John O'Shea. Paul Reid has taken on the role of Assistant Trainer, Fernleigh, while Victoria Appleby oversees Racing and Stable Operations.
Brad Widdup, Royal Randwick 2026
Brad's Story
The “boy from Albury” has come a long way, although he wasn't necessarily thinking of a permanent role. “I saw first hand how tough things were for a country trainer, and I didn't want to do that.” “Albury was the best place to grow up. School days were great and I liked sport.” “I really didn't know what I wanted to do when I left school, and remember going to Narrandera to apply for a job in the railways.”
“My older brother Warren rang one day toward the end of 1992 to say Sydney trainer Rod Craig (now retired) was taking a young horse north for the Ballina Bracelet en route to the Magic Millions, and needed someone to fill in at the stables for a couple of weeks,” Widdup said. “I had nothing on my plate, and hopped on a float going to Sydney carrying a bag and a plastic bag. I never went home to Albury.”
Widdup stayed at Eclipse Lodge with Craig and, when the legendary BJ (Brian) Smith took over, got his first taste of Group 1 glory.
“Brian won the 1995 AJC Oaks with Circles Of Gold, who later became an outstanding broodmare, producing the likes of Elvstroem and Haradasun. I looked after Circles Of Gold and travelled interstate with her to the carnivals. BJ had different ideas and was always prepared to try something else. I watched a lot and picked up plenty from him — a great mentor.”
Widdup spent three years with Smith and, when he scaled back his team, rejoined Craig when approached to be his foreman at 21 years of age.
Intergaze – April 1999
“Rod didn't have a big team, and one of them was an unraced chestnut by Integra, and it was easy to quickly take a shine to him,” he said. “His name was Intergaze, who won on debut at Rosehill Gardens, and went on to win another 11 races.” “Intergaze is still remembered for his giant-killing defeat of Octagonal in the champion's farewell race.” “Widdup saddled Intergaze as Craig's daughter Nicole married the now Randwick trainer John Thompson that day.”
He subsequently moved to Brisbane in 1999, with the opportunity to help run then Sydney trainer Bill Mitchell's satellite stable. The Brisbane stable had Group 1 success, capturing the 2000 Doomben Cup with three-year-old Akhenaton. Akhenaton remarkably had won his Maiden at Newcastle only two months earlier.
Polar Success, Golden Slipper 2003
When Bill Mitchell closed his Brisbane stable, Widdup went back to Sydney and joined Graeme Rogerson's stable. Success with Polar Success in the Golden Slipper and stars Savabeel, Not A Single Doubt and Econsul under his care as foreman.
Brad then joined fellow Randwick trainer Kevin Moses as foreman for four years. “We still have a great relationship with Kev and Jen, they are just like family to us.” “I would have trained in partnership with Kevin but at the time partnerships hadn't been approved by Racing NSW.”
Brad went on to securing that converted position as Assistant Trainer to Peter Snowden at Warwick Farm's Crown Lodge. Brad spent six and a half years with Snowden. “Peter like BJ are two of the best mentors a trainer can have, I am very fortunate to have learned under both.” Peter eventually departed Darley to start training as father and son in their own joint training business.
This gave Brad an opportunity to work as Assistant to John O'Shea when John took the role as head trainer. During his time at Crown Lodge, Widdup was associated with more than 40 Group 1 winners.
Icebath, The Invitation 2021
Icebath, Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes
Nearly a decade with Godolphin, opportunity came knocking to begin a new chapter in his racing life, with a Group 1 triumph now tucked away courtesy of Icebath in the Empire Rose Stakes & the $2m Invitation. With 70 boxes to accommodate his burgeoning stable, Widdup is understandably looking forward to kicking off another season.
Fernleigh & Our Facilities
To complement our stables and our vision for a new approach to training, we are very fortunate to be developing Fernleigh — a bespoke spelling and pre-training facility at Richmond Lowlands, just eight minutes' drive from the main stable at Clarendon. Fernleigh offers high-level resources including a water walker, an 800m deep sand track, and a hypoxic chamber with treadmill — hypoxic training conditions horses in a low-oxygen environment to build cardiovascular fitness and stamina without the physical strain of hard trackwork — with a riverside hill climb to be completed soon to give the horses further conditioning options.
That same commitment to modern methods took Brad and Milissa to Japan in late November, taking in Japan Cup raceday and visiting Northern Farm's pre-training facility to see a hypoxic chamber similar to the one being developed at Fernleigh.
Family
Cooper, Brad, Icebath, Hunter, Milissa, Maddison
Brad Widdup Racing is a family affair, Brad and Milissa's children – sons Cooper 22 and Hunter 18, and daughter Maddi 20. Cooper, whose own sporting background in soccer feeds into his studies in Exercise and Sports Science at Uni, rides work, including the pre-trainers at Fernleigh. He also drives the stable's scientific treadmill program, working closely with Professor Allan Davie, with whom he has a great working relationship. Earlier this year Cooper spent time in Florida watching leading American trainer Brendan Walsh and his team — a first taste of the overseas experience Brad wants for both boys before they join him as trainers. Maddi — who Brad smiles and refers to as “the smart one” for building a career outside the industry as a hairdresser — is still a regular at the races and follows the stable's fortunes closely. Youngest son Hunter, soon to complete his HSC this year and looking to attend university from 2027, has ridden trackwork daily since the day he turned 15 — balancing his love of racing with his schoolwork — and can often be seen at the races with Brad on a Saturday. Cooper and Hunter both look forward to training in partnership with their dad one day — the next chapter in that three-generation legacy. Brad's plan for both is to first complete a university degree and a stint working with a leading stable overseas, building their own grounding before they join him as trainers.
