THURSDAY: November 6, 2025: BRAD Widdup had never been to a Perth yearling sale until he and major client, Mulberry Racing’s Mike Gregg, went there last year.

They purchased four fillies; only two have raced so far and one of them, Bondi Blossom, got off the mark at Gosford today.

Starting a $4.40 third favorite at her sixth start, Bondi Blossom (Christian Reith) broke through in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (1600m), comfortably defeating Kembla Grange four-year-old and $2.70 favorite Phoenix Legend.

“We didn’t go to the Perth sale intending to buy solely fillies,” Brad said this evening.

“It was just the way it worked out, and we went back earlier this year and bought a Playing God filly ($90,000).”

Farnan filly Seven Days is the only other to race from last year’s purchases – and she is unplaced from two starts.

Bondi Blossom was the last and cheapest of the four “girls” purchased last year.

She fetched $45,000, whereas Seven Days was $130,000, and the Playing God and Deep Field fillies $210,000 and $180,000 respectively.

Brad took blinkers off Bondi filly Bondi Blossom for her Gosford assignment.

“She was narrowly beaten over 1500m at Kembla Grange on October 13, and then disappointed at her next run there over 1600m 12 days later,” he said.

“Christian said she raced too keenly that day, and so I decided to race her at Gosford without the blinkers.

“She settled nicely back in the field, and rounded up her rivals in the straight to win well.”

Brad starts two-year-old Anthropoid (Tyler Schiller) in Saturday’s Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens, and is heading to Melbourne where he will saddle Jedibeel and Sunset Park at the finale of the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.

Anthropoid, a Prague two-year-old who also races in the Mulberry colours, was an eye-catching fourth on debut to fellow Hawkesbury youngster Thrill Hunter in the Kirkham Plate (1000m) at Royal Randwick on October 25.

“I feel he is going to develop into a nice horse,” Brad said.

“Anthropoid is still inexperienced, but it’s a $1m race and I have never been frightened to have a go.”

Brad has been forced to secure replacement jockeys for both Melbourne representatives.

He was fortunate to nab Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jamie Melham for Sunset Park in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m), and Ethan Brown rides Jedibeel in the $3m Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m).

“Lachlan Neindorf rode Sunset Park when she ran third in the Group 3 Tesio Stakes (2040m) at The Valley and was unlucky not to have won, and has since been suspended, whilst Blake Shinn was to have ridden Jedibeel but broke a leg in a fall at Flemington on Tuesday,” Brad said.