SUNDAY: OCTOBER 12, 2025: THE world’s richest race on turf would not have even entered Brad Widdup’s thoughts when he caught sight of Lot 343 at the 2021 Inglis Classic yearling sale in Sydney.

He liked the Savabeel youngster so much he went above a $150,000 budget new stable client Mike Gregg had given him.

At $190,000 he was knocked down to the leading Hawkesbury trainer, and Gregg was happy to pay the extra when he became aware his trainer didn’t want to miss out on him.

Jedibeel has since more than repaid his purchase price – he has won eight races, including a Group 2 at weight-for-age at Royal Randwick, and is verging on millionaire status – and at that very track on Saturday will be Brad’s first runner in the $20m The Everest (1200m), as well as being the first provincial representative in six years.

Brad had purchased an unraced horse (The Grundler) from New Zealand for Sydney businessman Gregg, and won two races with him (the first at Newcastle at double figure odds not long before securing Jedibeel).

“Mike wanted to buy a horse we hoped could run 1600m and beyond,” he recalled today.

“I’m not one to look closely at sale catalogues because you see horses you would like but know you won’t be able to afford them.

“When I saw Jedibeel at the Classic sale, I was taken by his physique, the way he walked, and his attitude.

“He was the first yearling I had ever bought for Mike, and the only yearling I bought at that sale.

“He has been a wonderful horse for Mike and our stable, but I became aware in his first preparation that he wasn’t going to be a ‘miler’ or get over middle distances.

“We had a genetic test done, and it showed that he was a sprinter.”

Brad has well and truly done the hard yards in the industry, and though modestly not one to get carried away with many things in racing, is understandably thrilled to join The Everest ranks at the weekend.

But it will be business as normal this week with the gelding.

“There will be nothing different. We’ll be keeping to his same routine preparation,” he said.

“He will do slow work tomorrow (Monday) morning, gallop over 800m on Tuesday morning, canter

Wednesday morning, do a bit of pacework Thursday morning, and canter again Friday morning.

“We had a setback with Jedibeel at the start of his preparation which forced us to miss the Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on September 6.

“As a result he didn’t resume until a fortnight later in The Shorts (1100m) there, and then ran fourth in the wfa Premiere Stakes (1200m) at the same track yesterday week.

“I feel Jedibeel should have run third to Briasa (an Everest rival), and he will take confidence from that, and his jockey Kerrin McEvoy as well.

“Kerrin offered to come out and ride him work on Tuesday morning, but Rosie Jilla does all the work on him, and I don’t want to change anything.”

Jedibeel is raced by Gregg, his grandson Lachlan Sheridan and Gregg’s Mulberry (which purchased The Everest slot earlier this year).

“Plenty of work and thought went into choosing Mulberry’s Everest runner, and eventually it was a no-brainer to select Jedibeel after he ran so well in the Premiere,” Brad said.

“We didn’t have to bargain with any other owners.”

With 428 career winners (also including a maiden Group 1 triumph with Icebath at the 2022 Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington), Brad has been around long enough to fully realise the task confronting Jedibeel on Saturday.

TAB.com.au price assessors have listed him as the $101 outsider.

“I couldn’t be happier with Jedibeel,” he said.

“He’s still on the up this campaign, and likes Randwick (two wins and two seconds there).

“I’m hoping for a good draw when the barriers are released on Tuesday night as he needs a suck run off a fast pace, and can produce a really good sprint at the end if he gets that.

“I’m confident he will run to the best of his ability and won’t let anyone down.”

HOOFNOTE: Newcastle’s Kris Lees is the only provincial trainer before Brad to have any The Everest representatives.

He ran eighth with Clearly Innocent ($13) in the inaugural 2017 running, had a trio of runners – Le Romain, fourth at $9, Graff fifth at $8, and In Her Time seventh at $12) the following year, and In Her Time ($21) ran ninth in Yes Yes Yes’ 2019 victory.