SUNDAY: January 26, 2025: A weekend double with horses at both ends of the betting scale lifted Brad Widdup’s season tally to 36.
The leading Hawkesbury trainer scored with $19 chance Canny Queen at Newcastle yesterday, followed by $1.95 favorite Money Team at Wyong today.
Brad had the “luck of the Irish’ riding with him at Newcastle – but not so much his winning rider, Irish jockey Ronan Whelan, who later was suspended.
Whelan’s vigorous ride got lightly-raced filly Canny Queen home in the Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m) for his second Australian success – and both have been at Newcastle.
He won another Benchmark 64 Handicap, over 2300m, at Broadmeadow last Tuesday on Final Reset ($5), but fell foul of RacingNSW stewards after scoring on Brad’s three-year-old daughter of Victoria Derby winner Ace High.
Brad booked Whelan on the recommendation of Randwick trainer John O’Shea, who also has a second stable at Hawkesbury.
“John gave Ronan a good wrap to me, and he did the job on the filly,” Brad said today from New Zealand, where he is attending the Karaka yearling sales.
“Canny Queen struck trouble at a vital stage in the straight when resuming at Newcastle recently, and her run was okay.
“She won on debut at Wyong last August, and going from 1250m first-up to 1400m suited her.”
Though Whelan rode the filly 1kg over at 56kg, she was good enough to defeat fellow Hawkesbury trainers Jason Attard and Lucy Keegan-Attard’s Oh Golly Gosh ($15) and Wyong trainer Allan Kehoe’s Lease ($8), who led and looked home until caught in the closing stages.
Stable apprentice Zac Wadick was aboard $1.95 favorite and new acquisition Money Team when he broke through in the CG&E Maiden Plate (1200m) at Wyong at his first start for his new trainer.
Money Team initially fetched $1m as a 2022 Australian Easter yearling before being onsold for $55,000 online through Inglis Digital last May, and is raced by a group which includes the trainer’s son Cooper.
The four-year-old son of I Am Invincible and So You Think mare The Pinnacle (who won three races, including the 2018 Group 3 Epona Stakes, 1900m at Rosehill Gardens) had five starts for four placings – including a Gosford debut – for Melbourne trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr (who also have a Sydney base at Rosehill).
Money Team did a good job to shed his maiden status at his first start since May 6 last year when runner-up at Werribee.
Wadick had him away smartly, sat outside the leader Lovin’ Harry ($51), then got control in the straight.
Wadick had to give Money Team only a few smacks with the whip to keep his mind on the job, and he comfortably held his betting ring danger Firework ($2.60), who trailed him in the run.