Trainer Bjorn Baker has conveyed that Thebudgiesmugla is likely to bypass the Grafton Cup scheduled for later this month, with the gelding now being pointed towards the spring carnival, with a potential focus on the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double.
This impressive performance stems from a five-year-old gelding who arrived from New Zealand, initially facing scrutiny regarding his suitability to flat racing, having been unsuccessful in a provincial restricted event.
However, Thebudgiesmugla, raced by the prominent Scott Darby of Darby Racing, has since claimed victory in five of his eight career starts. His recent triumphs include the Winter Cup and Caloundra Cup double, solidifying his reputation as one of the most promising stayers in training.
“Thebudgiesmugla just keeps improving,” Baker remarked. “He’s only lightly-raced, he’s a typical Kiwi stayer who is still maturing and he will be even better again next season.”
“There is some thought to going to the Grafton Cup and, although you never make decisions on raceday, I’m leaning to giving him a break and setting him for the spring carnival. I’ll have to sit down with the owners (Darby Racing) and work out what we do with this horse, you can’t run in everything, but we don’t know how good he is just yet because he keeps raising the bar every start.”
The $2.35 favourite, Thebudgiesmugla, unleashed a strong finishing burst to win by a half-length from the tough competitor So You Are ($5), with Caboche ($8.50) finishing nearly three lengths behind in third.
The favourite justified the confidence of punters from leading Aussie betting sites, while So You Are and Caboche offered value in betting apps Australia markets.
Star jockey Dylan Gibbons elected to delay his winter holiday to Fiji so he could ride Thebudgiesmugla, and his decision paid off with the gelding’s impressive win.
The journey from a mid-winter Caloundra Cup to the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups is a significant one, but Half Yours famously achieved that treble just 12 months prior, providing a potential blueprint.
Earlier, the Tom Charlton-trained Cellarmaster secured victory in the Group 3 Winx Guineas over 1600 metres.
Cellarmaster ($5.50) edged out Platinum Pantheon ($6.50) in a tight finish, with Rustemo ($8.50) finishing just over a length behind in third.
Cellarmaster returned a winning dividend of $5.50 according to leading betting sites with sign up bonus, while the race favourite, Within The Law ($2.60), failed to impress after attracting considerable market support.
Within The Law, the $2.60 favourite and a stablemate of Thebudgiesmugla, settled just off the leaders and gained an inside run in the straight but couldn’t finish off, ending up in sixth place, beaten by more than three lengths.
Charlton commented that Cellarmaster was deserving of his breakthrough big-race victory.
“He enjoys being ridden a bit quieter, and we have learned that with him. It was a good performance,” Charlton stated. “I think he’ll keep improving, he’s definitely not the finished article. He’s a chance to run a bit further in time as well.”
Charlton explained that after Cellarmaster’s third-place finish in the Phar Lap Stakes in Sydney during the autumn carnival, the decision was made to target the Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm. However, the gelding finished fifth behind the talented Skyhook.
“We thought the Gunsynd was his sort of race, which it arguably was, but it was a bit stronger than normal because those horses like Skyhook didn’t get a run in the Stradbroke,” Charlton explained. “But this was a touch weaker. We’ll give him a break and think about what we do. He is Magic Millions eligible so whether we think late summer prep into the Magic Millions, or whether we give him a couple of weeks off and come into the spring, we need to figure that out.”
For those interested in the spring carnival action, check out the latest racing odds at racing betting markets.