BRAD’S TWO-TRACK DOUBLE
SUNDAY: November 10, 2024: A mare who keeps taking the next step and a younger horse who has wasted no time putting his first win on the board.
Confess Our Dreams at Rosehill Gardens and Hardpoint at Wyong gave leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup a two-track Saturday double.
Confess Our Dreams ($2.10 favorite) made it two city wins on end when she easily took the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1100m) against her own sex, whilst Hardpoint ($1.80 favorite) broke through in the Provincial Maiden Handicap (1600m) at only his second start.
Sadly, Confess Our Dreams’ Melbourne breeder-owner Akram Younan passed away recently before his four-year-old daughter of Shalaa scored at Warwick Farm midweek on October 16.
“There is definitely more upside with Confess Our Dreams, but I will probably stop with her now,” Brad said today.
“There isn’t another suitable race for her until December 7, so we can give her a break and look ahead to the autumn.”
Confess Our Dreams is building a very tidy record indeed. She has now won five of her nine starts.
Brad was equally pleased with lightly-raced Raise The Flag three-year-old Hardpoint’s Wyong performance.
“He was going from 1400m on debut at Kembla Grange (when third at $31) to 1600m, and had to do plenty of work early and then show fight in the straight,” he said.
“Hardpoint looks as though he is going to get even further on his ear.”
Brad picked out Hardpoint in a paddock at Cross Park, and arranged a deal to race him with breeder Adrian Whittingham.
“Adrian had sent his unraced I Am Invincible mare Holy Flame to New Zealand to be mated with Raise The Flag, and Hardpoint was the result,” he explained.
“I really liked him when I saw him, and Brad Widdup Racing and our son Cooper race the gelding in partnership with Cross Park and Akaka Falls’ owner Adrian Britt.”
Brad’s double took his number of winners this season to 21, and his career tally to 378.
He is keen to start dual Group 3 winner Phearson in Saturday’s $1m Group 2 The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle; the same meeting where he won the Max Lees 2YO Classic (900m) with Fire Lane on debut two years ago.