SUNDAY: July 20, 2025: AS it turned out Brad Widdup needed to win only the first race at his home track’s final meeting of the season today.

But just to be sure he also won the second – defeating closest rivals Annabel and Rob Archibald – to seal his first Hawkesbury premiership.

Hawkesbury’s leading trainer had begun the day tied with Team Archibald on 13 winners for the 2024-25 racing year, and didn’t waste time adding his name to the honour roll.

Fittingly, his most successful jockey Christian Reith was aboard his two winners Afloat and Tequisoda – punters were happy as well as both were odds-on favorites.

Afloat ($1.90) took the HRC Motel Provincial Maiden Handicap (1300m), and Tequisoda ($1.24) followed up by landing the Blakes Marine Maiden Plate (1500m).

Hawkesbury has been Brad’s base since he took out his licence and began training toward the end of the 2016-17 season, scoring with his first runner (Junglized on Canberra’s synthetic track, with Reith aboard) on May 26, 2017.

“Christian has been back riding trackwork for me a couple of days a week,” Brad said this evening.

“It’s very satisfying to be able to win the premiership on my home track.”

Today’s double took him to 60 for the season (and a career 417), and he has consistently prepared a similar number of winners for the last four years.

Brad numbered 63 in 2021-22, 59 in 2022-23 (during which he clinched a maiden Group 1 triumph with Icebath at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival), and 61 last season.

Former Godolphin three-year-old Afloat (a son of Astern) was having his first start for his new trainer, and returned an immediate dividend on his $40,000 purchase price.

But Brad has had to wait a while to get him to the races.

“Afloat got a little crook after he ran second in a trial at Warwick Farm on May 22,” he explained.

“I had to ease up, and couldn’t trial him again until earlier this month.”

Handy from the outset, Afloat defeated fellow Hawkesbury co-trainers Mitch and Desiree Kearney’s Share The Joy ($6) and Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan’s Tambeloa ($3.10).

Pierro two-year-old Tequisoda broke through at only his second start after an unlucky first-up second on debut at Wyong on July 5.

In a Pierro quinella result, he beat late closer, three-year-old filly The Cristal ($4.60) and fellow Hawkesbury trainer Marc Chevalier’s The Iron Star ($12).

“I feel Tequisoda is going to be allright, and will probably stop with him for now,” Brad said.