Hawkesbury, Taree previews: Trainer Brad Widdup kicks off big week

Group 1-winner trainer Brad Widdup has several winning chances at home at Hawkesbury on Tuesday before a trip to Queensland with the Tatt’s Tiara as the main goal.

Brad Widdup has several strong chances at Hawkesbury on Tuesday

By SHAYNE O’CASS

Brad Widdup will start the week chasing multiple winners at home before an “away trip” this weekend on a Group 1 mission.

The Hawkesbury-based conditioner has four runners pencilled in for Tuesday’s meeting, three of whom will be ridden by his gun apprentice Zac Wadick.

Widdup intends to grasp the opportunity of a home track maiden to debut his well-bred two-year-old filly Glassout in the Davo’s Dash Plate over 1100m.

Glassout is a daughter of the Silver Slipper winner Headwater out of a mare by So You Think conqueror, All American.

Better yet, her third dam is Newhaven Park’s AJC Champagne Stakes winner Euphoria, herself a granddaughter of champion race filly and later broodmare gem Denise’s Joy.

Glassout was a much admired filly at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, a fact reflected in her not insignificant price-tag of $180,000.

“She was a lovely yearling,’’ Widdup told The Daily Telegraph. “For a Headwater, she did cost a bit of money.

“She is slowly getting there. The penny is starting to drop, it took a little while, she has been a little bit of a slow-learner but she was good the other day in her trial.

“I don’t know if she can win first-up but I am sure she should be able to run well.

“We’ll probably give her a couple of runs and stop. She is probably going to be an autumn horse before she hits her straps.’’

It could come to pass that Widdup has two runners in the Davo’s Dash with Ramius the first emergency.

“He’s a new horse to the stable and he has been doing everything okay,’’ Widdup says.

“I don’t know if he is a 1000m/1100m horse, he may need a little bit further, but he seems to be starting to come right at the right time.

“I’d expect him to run well if he does run on Tuesday.’’

Ditto that last bit from Widdup about his remaining Tuesday participants, Pins And Needles and Troika who contest the last two legs of the NSW TAB Quaddie.

Pins And Needles will feel much more at home, in more ways than one on Tuesday, compared to her first-up fourth at Newcastle on a genuinely Heavy 10.

“Ideally, I probably wouldn’t have kicked her off like that but I didn’t imagine it was going to be as wet as it was either,’’ Widdup said.

“I have had her in a few places but she kept drawing badly and things like that, she got balloted out of one race.

“She is ticking over nicely and she does get in well on Tuesday under the conditions.’’

Pins And Needles races in the Tricolours silks and is a daughter of the Widden Stud stalwart Nicconi who just recently achieved the career milestone of 600 winners.

Among them are 54 stakes-horses including World Champion and Everest winner Nature Strip who was a considerable contributor to Nicconi’s enormous $94 million progeny earnings.

Widdup’s last runner on the card before he begins the countdown to this weekend’s Tattersall’s Tiara where he will is represented by bonny mare Ausbred Flirt, is Troika.

Originally housed with Mark Newnham at Randwick, Laurel Oak gelding Troika finds an ideal race to kick off his new campaign.

‘’He’s another horse ticking over nicely,’’ Widdup reported.

“I have got him in on Thursday as well but same thing, I think you scratch on Tuesday and you’re only going to find a similar race again on Thursday.

“It looks a good race for him on Tuesday.”

PROUD DAD ENJOYING SHAE’S SUCCESS

Proud father Wayne Wilkes has quickly turned into ‘admiring trainer’, and he’s not alone, when it comes to his daughter Shae’s growing reputation as a jockey.

The Taree-based apprentice has made giant inroads since she joined the riding ranks.

Her present tally grew to 17 when she led throughout to win at Scone last Friday for Choisir and Fastnet Rock’s trainer, Paul Perry, much to the delight of her boss, mentor and father.

“I have been there from day-one watching her and all the hard work she’s put in, the weight she’s lost, the ups and downs of it all through injury and knock-backs and different things like that,’’ Wilkes told The Daily Telegraph ahead of Tuesday’s Taree meeting.

”She’s got her head switched on and she’s just going ahead in leaps and bounds.

“I don’t have to push her to other trainers or anything like that. They’re seeing what she is riding like and seeing how she’s ridden their horses and they’re more than happy with her.”

Wilkes — Wayne that is — is certainly happy with Shae’s riding,

He would have to be given their combined strike-rate of 25 per cent which leaps to 40.6 per cent when places are added.

The Wilkes’ will team-up three times at home on Tuesday including in the last race on the card where the lightly-raced and promising kiwi-bred gelding Otium aims for what would be his second win at Taree.

“He’s just taken a fair bit of time to furnish and come together a bit,’’ trainer Wilkes says.

“You’ll probably see a better horse next time in again too.

“He has drawn just that little bit awkwardly in barrier eight because I am going to say the track is going to be leader-biased on Tuesday and if you get stuck three or four horses off the fence. like the last Taree meeting, you go nowhere.

“So Shae is going to get in somewhere and ride him for luck after that.

“He’s got plenty of potential, it is just getting that luck in races.”

The Wilkes’ stand a great chance of getting on the board early on Tuesday with Supido colt Uncle Moonlight who was tipped out after an honourable debut fourth at Taree on February 2 at $81.

“He’s always shown us something, it’s just that we didn’t expect that from a wide barrier for him to jump and roll forward and keep running,’’ Wilkes said.

“He has drawn favourably on Tuesday. If he can jump and be in the first or three, he is going to be hard to beat.’’

Originally published as Hawkesbury, Taree previews: Trainer Brad Widdup kicks off big week