Brad Widdup Racing News January 18 2026
A &ldquo;CHOICE&rdquo; VICTORY AT GOSFORD INSTEAD
SUNDAY: January 18, 2026: GOSFORD&rsquo;S Saturday provincial meeting wasn&rsquo;t the initial &ldquo;choice&rdquo; for Hawkesbury&rsquo;s leading trainer Brad Widdup.
He had hoped to have a crack at richer pickings at yesterday&rsquo;s Magic Millions meeting at the Gold Coast with three fillies by Golden Slipper winner Farnan he trains for Mulberry Racing.
Instead, when they didn&rsquo;t make the &ldquo;cut&rdquo; for the $250,000 Maiden Plate (1100m) after 37 horses were nominated, Brad had to settle for a breakthrough victory with one of the filles, You&rsquo;re The Choice, at Gosford.
Ridden by apprentice Mitch Stapleford, You&rsquo;re The Choice ($2.70 favorite) didn&rsquo;t give her rivals a look-in, bouncing to the front and leading throughout.
Such was her dominance in the 2 &amp; 3YO Maiden Plate (1200m) that she had almost three and a half lengths to spare at the finish from Gosford trainer Greg McFarlane&rsquo;s Go Glenn ($3.80) and Newcastle trainer Kris Lees&rsquo; debutante Stern Dispute ($3.10).
You&rsquo;re The Choice, a $260,000 purchase at last year&rsquo;s Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast, was beginning a new campaign, having not raced since finishing fourth at Wyong in late August.
She trialled twice &ndash; and was placed on both occasions &ndash; leading into yesterday&rsquo;s resumption.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re The Choice has always shown some ability, and it was good to see her not only break through yesterday, but win in the manner she did,&rdquo; Brad said today, en route home from the MM sales, where he added three yearlings to his team.
He had also hoped to score with another of the Farnan fillies Avon Calling at Gosford yesterday, but heavy rain ensured the meeting only lasted two races before RacingNSW stewards had no alternative but to call a halt to further proceedings.
You&rsquo;re The Choice was Brad&rsquo;s 449th career winner, and 31st this season.
Meanwhile, stablemates Nashville Jack and Savvy Hallie, who both ran so well when second and fourth in the $3m Sunlight Plate (1100m) at the Gold Coast a week ago, are likely headed for another interstate mission &ndash; this time in the other direction.
The pair has returned home, and Brad is eyeing the Inglis Sprint (1100m) for three-year-olds at Flemington on February 28.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shame they both have to clash again, but they are owned by different interests and the race is worth $1m, so it merits a lot of consideration,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;I could trial them before sending them to Melbourne.&rdquo;
Nashville Jack (also by Farnan) was a $71 chance when runner-up to favorite Grafterburners in the Sunlight, and Savvy Hallie (by Hellbent) was a Group 2 winner last spring and also ran well to finish fourth at the Gold Coast.

Brad Widdup Racing

A “CHOICE” VICTORY AT GOSFORD INSTEAD

Brad Widdup

BRAD AIMING HIGHER WITH NASHVILLE JACK
SUNDAY: January 11, 2026: BRAD Widdup says he will have to &ldquo;aim a bit higher&rdquo; with Nashville Jack after the colt&rsquo;s brilliant return to racing at the Gold Coast yesterday.
As a $71 outsider, Nashville Jack was a strong finishing second in the $3m Sunlight Plate (1100m) on the opening day of the Magic Millions carnival.
Nashville Jack&rsquo;s owner Mulberry Racing bought a slot in the Sunlight, and the move was rewarded when the lightly-raced three-year-old picked up $390,000.
Brad secured two starters in the 12-horse field, and also finished fourth with Savvy Hallie ($7.50), who raced in the B2B Thoroughbreds slot, and earned $180,000.
&ldquo;I knew the fast pace (winner and favorite Grafterburners clocked a brilliant 1:02.22 after Swordplay had scorched along in front) would suit Nashville Jack,&rdquo; he said today.
&ldquo;Savvy Hallie&rsquo;s run was good as well.
&ldquo;They will both go back to our Hawkesbury stable, and we&rsquo;ll look at what&rsquo;s ahead in the coming months.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have to aim a bit higher with Nashville Jack as his benchmark rating obviously will go up now.
&ldquo;And Savvy Hallie will contest suitable races against her own sex.&rdquo;
Nashville Jack had a benchmark 74 rating lining up for only his fifth start, and his first since mid-August when he ran fourth to Skyhook in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens.
A son of Farnan, he had won a 2YO Handicap (1100m) at Royal Randwick in July at his previous start.
Whilst Nashville Jack and Savvy Hallie head home, Brad may have more runners at Saturday&rsquo;s second day of the MM carnival.
He has a trio of three-year-old fillies &ndash; all by Nashville Jack&rsquo;s sire Farnan &ndash; nominated for the $250,000 Maiden Plate (1100m).
They are the cleverly-named Avon Calling (out of Miss Cosmetic), You&rsquo;re The Choice and Olivia Twist.
As with Nashville Jack, the fillies race under the Mulberry banner.
Thirty-seven horses have been entered for the Maiden Plate (14 can run), and Brad will have to wait and see how the field shapes up when acceptances are declared to determine his runners.

BRAD AIMING HIGHER WITH NASHVILLE JACK

We&rsquo;re excited to share the inaugural Brad Widdup Racing newsletter, created for a light and enjoyable read and offering a quick snapshot of some of our highlights from 2025. 
Wishing all our owners, supporters and friends a very Happy New Year &mdash; we look forward to sharing an exciting year ahead. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/f6db510884da42bdbbaa98c0888fcf31.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="905" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/784f7e7516dc487b8911464220211bbf.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="894" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/d584de78e2b54aa49c62fe37b4b7e0c9.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="900" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/554564ca15a44eb5a4e4491d17b2a0fb.jpg" alt="" width="627" height="888" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/8c9916e3eaec424492ab10e6315b913c.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="884" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/a84d1ebc3c534eaeb3c3d908feac0404.jpg" alt="" width="631" height="904" /> <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/27f9ede1633e49a496d5d72f849f89d1.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="885" />

Issue 1 - Brad Widdup Racing Newsletter

Brad Widdup Racing December 10 2025
DREAMS COME TRUE AT WYONG
WEDNESDAY: December 10, 2025: BRAD Widdup confessed!
The leading Hawkesbury trainer was referring to his mare Confess Our Dreams&rsquo; victory at today&rsquo;s Wyong Magic Millions meeting.
Widdup took Confess Our Dreams ($2.90 favorite) back to the provincial circuit for the first time in more than two years &ndash; and she duly saluted.
Ridden by apprentice Siena Grima, she won the Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m).
&ldquo;We found a nice race for Confess Our Dreams,&rdquo; Brad said this evening.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure we would have been in trouble finding an easier race for her if she couldn&rsquo;t win today.&rdquo;
After trailing Thankful Heart ($7) into the straight, Confess Our Dreams took control and appeared set for a comfortable victory.
However, she had just enough in reserve to hold off Newcastle trainer Paul Perry&rsquo;s Puerto Banus ($11) and Kembla Grange trainer Joe Ible&rsquo;s Spice Baby ($4,.20).
Confess Our Dreams, a five-year-old daughter of Shalaa, had started 16 times in town (for three wins on the Kensington track, Warwick Farm and Rosehill Gardens) since scoring at Newcastle in October 2023.
&ldquo;Even though the margin was narrow at the end, all the same it was a good effort,&rdquo; Brad said.
&ldquo;They went hard and she ran a class record, and obviously Siena&rsquo;s 3kg claim was a deciding factor.&rdquo;
Grima&rsquo;s claim lessened Confess Our Dreams&rsquo; weight to 59.5kg, and this was her sixth win from 19 starts.
Meanwhile Brad is looking forward to taking a lightly-raced youngster to Royal Randwick on Saturday for the $400,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) for two-year-olds.
Internal Affairs will have his second start, and Tom Sherry partners him again.
&ldquo;Internal Affairs ran a great race on debut when fourth to Fireball in a 2YO Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 29, and has trained on well,&rdquo; Brad said.
A son of Home Affairs, Internal Affairs was a $440,000 purchase for Mulberry Racing at Melbourne&rsquo;s Inglis Premier yearling sale earlier this year.

DREAMS COME TRUE AT WYONG

SUNDAY: November 30, 2025: BRAD Widdup&rsquo;s 10th winner of the month at Newcastle today was indeed a &ldquo;cut&rdquo; above average.
The leading Hawkesbury trainer had won a Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (Sunset Park) at the Flemington carnival along with a number of Sydney victories in November, including Hyperbolic at Rosehill Gardens yesterday.
But winning with a five-year-old mare having her first start, and who had been out of the stable for nearly two years, was something special.
The unusually named Like A Surgeon at $19 gave her rivals a start and a beating in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (900m).
Like A Surgeon settled a clear last before jockey Christian Reith eased her toward the outside on straightening as she began to make ground.
Finishing as though it was anything but her first time at the races, she surged home ahead of Kembla Grange trainers Mitch Beer and George Carpenter&rsquo;s Uncle Barry ($6.50) and Newcastle trainer Barry Lawrence&rsquo;s $71 roughie Love You Anyway.
Like A Surgeon, raced by her breeder Ralph Tierney, is the first foal of the Canny Lad mare Nunya Bizz, who passed away in August.
Brad&rsquo;s assistant trainer Rosie Jilla this evening related how Like A Surgeon first came to their Hawkesbury stables &ndash; and then disappeared.
&ldquo;Like A Surgeon trialled twice with us a late two-year-old in May and July 2023, and then again later on November 16 that year,&rdquo; Rosie said.
&ldquo;She showed some ability but went shin sore and left the stables.
&ldquo;When she was out for so long, we didn&rsquo;t think she was coming back at all.&rdquo;
However, the mare&rsquo;s owner decided to send her back to Brad quite some months ago for another preparation &ndash; and it was worth it.
&ldquo;We took our time with Like A Surgeon and Brad gave her two nice trials (at Kembla Grange on November 5 and Hawkesbury 12 days later),&rdquo; Rosie said.
&ldquo;She won her latest trial, and Brad knew she was ready to go the races.&rdquo;
Like A Surgeon&rsquo;s three-year-old half-sister Mind Ya Bizz (by Heroic Valour) is also with Brad, and trialled at home on November 17 following a spell after finishing second on debut to fellow Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan&rsquo;s Just Awesome at Gosford in June.
In giving Brad his 10th November winner, Like A Surgeon also was the trainer&rsquo;s 25th winner of the season.
Along with Like A Surgeon, Brad also had two seconds &ndash; Tequisoda ($3.10 favorite) and Tenbury Wells ($3.70 co-favorite) &ndash; at Newcastle, and the former came off the back off a fruitless trip to Kembla Grange yesterday.
Tequisoda was to have started there, but the meeting was called off after one race had been run because of power outages.
&ldquo;Tequisoda was fine this morning, and the decision was made to go to Newcastle,&rdquo; Rosie said.
&ldquo;There were no other suitable races for him in the near future.&rdquo;
Brad also been successful at Rosehill yesterday with Hyperbolic ($7) in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1400m).
Ridden by Tommy Berry, Hyperbolic always travelled like a winner and scored convincingly, posting her fourth win (and first in town) at her 12th start.
Brad purchased the four-year-old daughter of Proisir for $240,000 at the 2023 NZ Bloodstock yearling sale at Karaka on behalf of Mike Gregg&rsquo;s Mulberry Racing.

BRAD’S DEBUT WINNER A “CUT” ABOVE AVERAGE

THURSDAY: November 20, 2025: FOUR days. Four winners!
It&rsquo;s been some week for Hawkesbury&rsquo;s leading trainer Brad Widdup, whose quartet in successive days was capped when lightly-raced filly Lightness scored at Newcastle today at only her third start.
tard, leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees and Wyong&rsquo;s Nacim Dilmi joined him.
Brad began the week&rsquo;s run &ndash; all with females - when Forcefilly (ridden by stable apprentice Poppie Gorton) scored at Nowra last Monday, then debutante Azure Angel surged home from well back on the turn at Scone the following day.
Tequila Baby broke through for a city victory at Canterbury yesterday, and Lightness broke through for her first win today.
Ridden by Christian Reith, Lightness ($5.50) showed plenty of grit to defeat Wyong trainer Nacim Dilmi&rsquo;s Federal Reserve ($4.60) in the Midway Maiden Handicap (1400m) after the pair had the race to themselves along the straight.
Raced by Mike Gregg&rsquo;s Mulberry Racing, Lightness fetched $450,000 at last year&rsquo;s Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast.
&ldquo;She was the dearest yearling we bought that season,&rdquo; Brad said this evening.
&ldquo;Lightness did a terrific job today, and I&rsquo;m sure she has a lot of upside and is going to appreciate even longer distances later in her career.
&ldquo;I might give her one more run if she pulls up well, and then send her for a break and look toward the autumn.
&ldquo;She has a very nice pedigree.&rdquo;
Lightness won at the same Broadmeadow track where her father Proisir, now a leading New Zealand sire, won the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old in 2012.
The filly was Brad&rsquo;s 22nd winner of the season, and his career 440th.
Whilst it&rsquo;s been a pretty good week already for Brad, he is hoping for rain to soften Kembla Grange on Saturday for accomplished wet tracker Ruby Flyer in the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1600m).
&ldquo;Ruby Flyer is in great order,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to get some rain for him.&rdquo;
Ruby Flyer was excellent in the $3m Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on November 4 when he came from well back to finish ninth to Gringotts.

WHAT A WEEK IT’S BEEN FOR BRAD

WEDNESDAY: November 19, 2025: ONE of the hallmarks of a successful trainer is knowing when to stop with a horse and look to the future.
Even when that horse might have just won another race at her first start back from a spell.
Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup did that with now four-year-old mare Tequila Baby, who repaid him by breaking through for her first city victory at Canterbury today.
Ridden by last season&rsquo;s champion Sydney apprentice Braith Nock, Tequila Baby defied a betting drift ($2.90 favorite at one stage this morning to start at $4.40) to overhaul the pacy Jamais ($17) to land the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1200m) against her own sex.
The daughter of Capitalist and Onemorenomore mare One More Tequila fetched $210,000 as an Inglis Australian Easter weanling in 2022 before being passed in at $250,000 the following year at the Inglis Ready2Race sale as an unraced two-year-old.
Brad gave Tequila Baby only two starts as a two-year-old, and at her third start in her three-year-old season, a $50,000 Super Maiden at the Snake Gully Cup meeting at Gundagai 12 months ago was hers for the taking.
She went for a break, came back and won a 3YO Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m) on her home track in April &ndash; and that&rsquo;s when Brad pulled up stumps.
&ldquo;Tequila Baby was starting to jar up in her knees,&rdquo; he explained this evening.
&ldquo;It was immaturity and she didn&rsquo;t need surgery, but needed time and that&rsquo;s why I stopped with her.
&ldquo;She is a lovely type of mare and has come back really well.
&ldquo;Tequila Baby was narrowly beaten first-up over 1000m at Kembla Grange earlier in the month, and I wasn&rsquo;t overly confident today as she is still above herself.
&ldquo;I thought she might be a bit vulnerable late if she led, but was happy when Jamais took up the running and Braith (Nock) was able to give our mare a nice run behind her.
&ldquo;She did a good job with 59kg, and it&rsquo;s the right time of the year with the spring carnival over to give her more racing.
&ldquo;We might have to go to town now.&rdquo;
Tequila Baby is the fourth foal of three-times winning Newcastle mare One More Tequila (trained by Peter Eggleston), and Brad also has her sixth foal Tequisoda (by Pierro), a $160,000 purchase for Mulberry Racing at last year&rsquo;s Inglis Premier yearling sale in Melbourne.
Tequisoda is already a winner (at Hawkesbury in July) from only three starts, and won&rsquo;t be long winning another one after a luckless third over 1400m at Kembla Grange last Saturday.
Tequila Baby was Brad&rsquo;s third winner &ndash; his 21st of the season &ndash; in as many days after Forcefilly scored at Nowra on Monday, and debutante Azure Angel surged home from well back on the turn at Scone yesterday.
And his winning week may not be over either. He has four runners at Newcastle tomorrow with Lightness (Christian Reith) his pick in the Midway Maiden Handicap (1400m).
The Mulberry-owned Proisir three-year-old ran second first-up at Kembla Grange on November 4 at only her second start, and will race in winkers this time.

BRAD’S PATIENCE WITH TEQUILA BABY PAYS OFF

TUESDAY: November 18, 2025: PERTH&rsquo;S Magic Millions yearling sale might attract even more interest in future from Hawkesbury&rsquo;s leading trainer Brad Widdup.
A first time visit there last year with his major client, Mike Gregg&rsquo;s Mulberry Racing, resulted in the purchase of four fillies &ndash; and two of the three which have so far raced have won.
Brad produced Playing Gold three-year-old Azure Angel &ndash; the dearest of the foursome at $210,000 &ndash; at Scone today for an immediate result.
And whilst her debut success certainly wasn&rsquo;t a surprise, her price indeed was.
Ridden by Christian Reith, Azure Angel ($7.50 after $13 was bet) turned in an impressive performance, surging home from well back on the hone turn to comfortably dispose of $3.60 favorite Borderfall and Avista ($5) in the Maiden Plate (1200m).
&ldquo;I really like this filly,&rdquo; Brad said this evening.
&ldquo;I thought she was good enough to have a crack in town at Rosehill Gardens last week against her own sex in a Maiden Plate (1200m), but she didn&rsquo;t draw the best.
&ldquo;Scone was the next option and I was very surprised double figure odds were offered.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a particularly good result to win first-up with the filly for Mike, who is the biggest supporter of our stable.&rdquo;
Brad trialled Azure Angel (whose dam, the Hurricane Sky mare Sky Angel won five races in WA) twice in winter, then gave her a break before trialling her twice again; at Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm on October 13 and 31 respectively.
&ldquo;She wasn&rsquo;t pressured in either trial, and I was confident she would be hard to beat at Scone,&rdquo; he said.
An indication of the trainer&rsquo;s opinion of Azure Angel can be measured by the fact that he went back to the same sale earlier this year, and purchased another Playing God filly (now a two-year-old) from the same breeder for $90,000 on Gregg&rsquo;s behalf.
Azure Angel was Brad&rsquo;s 20th winner of the current season, and his career 438th.
The filly&rsquo;s partner Christian Reith notched his 62nd winner for Brad, and is easily his most successful rider.
Bondi Blossom (a daughter of Bondi) was the first of the Perth buys to score when she took a Provincial Maiden Plate (1600m) at Gosford on November 6.
Provided Azure Angel comes through today&rsquo;s run well, Brad intends to press on with her.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say what her ceiling might be, but she needs to get some racing experience now,&rdquo; he said.

AN “ANGEL” ARRIVES AT SCONE

MONDAY: November 17, 2025: ALL in a day&rsquo;s work for a budding young jockey!
Hawkesbury apprentice Poppie Gorton rode in the third heat at her home track trial session this morning, then headed off to the TAB race meeting at Nowra for two rides for her master, leading trainer Brad Widdup.
After finishing fourth in the second race on Kosrae ($4.80), the 19-year-old backed up four races later and posted an important milestone in her career.
Gorton won the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m) &ndash; a heat of the Rising Star Series for apprentices &ndash; on $7 chance Forcefilly.
It was her fifth victory, meaning her country allowance now reduces from 4kg to 3kg.
Gorton brought Forcefilly with a determined burst wide out on the track, hitting the front in the shadows of the post.
Forcefilly defeated $2.60 favorite Supairo (Mollie Fitzgerald) and $41 outsider The Herald (Olivia Chambers).
It was the four-year-old Invader mare&rsquo;s third success at her 10th start &ndash; and Gorton has been her rider in all three.
&ldquo;Forcefilly&rsquo;s owners BK Racing &amp; Breeding&rsquo;s Brad Hunt and their racing manager Ben Vassallo have been terrific allowing Poppie to get valuable experience by riding the mare,&rdquo; Brad said this evening.
&ldquo;Three of Poppie&rsquo;s five wins to date have been on Forcefilly, so for sure she won&rsquo;t forget her.
&ldquo;Forcefilly was her first winner at Goulburn in September.
&ldquo;Poppie left for Nowra not long after riding Don&rsquo;tcallmekathy, who ran second in the 1000m trial at Hawkesbury.
&ldquo;She had a chauffeur to drive her to the races, but it&rsquo;s back to work as normal tomorrow.&rdquo;
Don&rsquo;tcallmekathy, another four-year-old mare, was another of the young jockey&rsquo;s winners, at Bathurst last month.
Her other winner was Dodgy Freckle at Mudgee, also last month.
Forcefilly was Brad&rsquo;s 19th winner of the season, and the 54th for the Hawkesbury training base.
He has nominated Ruby Flyer for Saturday&rsquo;s $1m The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange, but has to wait for acceptances on Wednesday morning to see if the gelding gains a start.
At present that looks forlorn as Ruby Flyer (53kg) is 29th in order of ballot (16 can start with provision for four emergencies).
If he misses out, there is a 1600m Benchmark 88 Handicap at the same meeting to fall back on.

POPPIE’S FAB FIVE WITH RISING STAR VICTORY

SUNDAY: November 9, 2025: BRAD Widdup was getting annoyed!
Hawkesbury&rsquo;s leading trainer couldn&rsquo;t fathom why well-bred mare Sunset Park was getting beaten in midweek and Saturday Midway races in Sydney.
&ldquo;I was frustrated,&rdquo; Brad said today. &ldquo;I knew she had the ability, but wasn&rsquo;t getting the job done.
&ldquo;I started wondering whether there was something wrong.&rdquo;
A trip to Melbourne changed everything. To some observers, it might have seemed simply having a &ldquo;throw at the stumps&rdquo; taking on tougher opposition at Melbourne&rsquo;s spring carnival &ndash; but it certainly worked.
After a luckless third as the $71 rank outsider in the Group 3 Tesio Stakes (2040m) at the Cox Plate meeting at The Valley on October 25, Sunset Park, with Melbourne Cup heroine Jamie Melham on board, blew away her rivals in yesterday&rsquo;s Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) on the final day of the Flemington carnival.
A $17 chance, the lightly-raced mare revelled in the heavy ground and turned the tables on Tesio winner She&rsquo;s A Hustler ($2.70 favorite).
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a real learning curve,&rdquo; Brad admitted.
&ldquo;The trip to Melbourne has done the trick. When she ran third at her first start there at The Valley and was unlucky not to have won, that opened my eyes.
&ldquo;We were fortunate then to be able to get Jamie to ride Sunset Park.
&ldquo;Declan Bates turned down the mount at The Valley and Lachlan Neindorf, who rode her that day, subsequently was suspended.&rdquo;
Brad, who returned to the scene of his 2022 maiden Group 1 triumph with Icebath, was especially pleased for Sydney businessman Adrian Whittingham, who races the mare under his Cross Park banner.
&ldquo;Sunset Park could easily have gone to stud without racing,&rdquo; he explained.
&ldquo;She has a wonderful family line, and was entered for sale by Godolphin as an unraced three-year-old out of training in the broodmare section at a Tattersalls&rsquo; sale in the UK in December 2023.
&ldquo;However they announced that she could be sold to race initially, and Adrian was able to buy her.&rdquo;
Brad had Sunset Park ready to begin her racing career when she suffered a setback after her second trial at Rosehill Gardens in July last year.
&ldquo;I was sitting in my office, and had a feeling there was something wrong when the floated pulled in to the stables,&rdquo; he explained.
&ldquo;She had sustained a cut to a leg, and we had to stop and start again.&rdquo;
A daughter of champion racehorse and stallion Sea The Stars (who sired his 143rd stakes winner), Sunset Park began racing only this year and won two of her first three starts (1600m at Kembla Grange and 2000m at Hawkesbury), and is now the winner of four of her 11 starts.
Yesterday&rsquo;s stunning victory has indeed added tremendously to her value as a future broodmare when her racing days are over.
Happy to oblige with multiple media and TV interviews after the Matriarch, Brad didn&rsquo;t know he had won another race at home with Pro Velocity ($21) not long after Sunset Park&rsquo;s performance.
&ldquo;It was a really good 10 minutes,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;When I was told the news, I thought it might have been another of Adrian&rsquo; horses Vondel, who was having her first start.&rdquo;
In fact, it was a family result. Four-year-old mare Pro Velocity, raced by Widdup&rsquo;s wife Milissa and daughter Maddie in partnership with breeder John Clancy, broke through at her 11th start in the All
Aspects Roofing F&amp;M Maiden Plate (1400m), at her first start since finishing fifth at home over a middle distance in late June.
&ldquo;Pro Velocity&rsquo;s win couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time for Maddie,&rdquo; Brad said. &ldquo;She has just secured a position as an apprentice hairdresser.&rdquo;
Whilst Pro Velocity was resuming, the Proisir mare&rsquo;s win wasn&rsquo;t altogether unexpected.
&ldquo;Andrew Adkins rode her in a trial, and recommended putting blinkers on her,&rdquo; Brad said.
Pro Velocity was Brad&rsquo;s seventh home track winner so far this season, ensuring he maintains his lead in his title defence after beating all comers in last season&rsquo;s Hawkesbury premiership.
Winning rider, apprentice Mitch Stapleford, was later fined $400 by stewards for using the whip nine times (four more than permitted) prior to the 100m.

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Issue 1 - Brad Widdup Racing Newsletter

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