Post race stories usually highlight the deeds of winners, but there was a runner up at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday deserving of special mention. Icebath’s close second to Godolphin’s Colette in the Golden Eagle not only stamped her as one of the most improved mares in the country, but provided a massive thrill for a certain Hawkesbury trainer.
“Sometimes it can take you a week to get over a narrow defeat in a Wyong Maiden, but this time I copped it sweet,” said Brad Widdup who had come very close to landing a double on one of Sydney’s biggest race days of the year. Two hours earlier he’d won a BM78 with the consistent Switched, his only other runner on the day.
Interestingly Brad used apprentices on both horses - Louise Day who claimed her full 3kgs on Switched, while Tom Sherry on Icebath was unable to utilise his claim under the special conditions of the Golden Eagle. To complete a unique coincidence both Day and Sherry are of Irish descent.
Icebath was in front a stride from home in the Golden Eagle. That stride made a difference of $3,000,000 in prize money - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The Icebath story merits elaboration. She’s by the ill fated Sacred Falls who died late last year at New Zealand’s famous Waikato Stud, where he’d virtually filled the shoes of his late sire O’Reilly. Sacred Falls won nine races in his 27 start career with 3 placings and prize money of almost $4.7 million dollars. He was unbeaten in six NZ runs for Tony Pike in 2012 culminating in the Gr 1 NZ 2000 Guineas at Riccarton.
He had another 21 starts for Chris Waller in Sydney winning only three races but they were the right three - two Doncasters (2013 and 2014) and the 2014 George Main Stakes.
Icebath’s dam Fabulist (Savabeel) was bred in NZ but raced exclusively in Australia in the hands of Danny O’Brien, winning four races on the Victorian provincials and one in Adelaide. Icebath made $110,000 at the 2018 Inglis Classic Sale, but extenuating circumstances saw her offered for private sale a year later with a $160,000 price tag.
Brad Widdup said he'd never been as happy to run second after Saturday's rich Golden Eagle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“Although still a maiden I had a pretty good opinion of her and recommended her to a new ownership syndicate,” recalled Brad. “My heart sank when she failed the veterinary inspection. X/rays revealed a small bone chip in each fore fetlock joint, but the vet was very upbeat and assured me the chips could be easily removed by arthroscopy. He was confident she’d race sound.”
The surgical procedure obviously detracted from Icebath’s value as a race mare, and her selling price was dramatically reduced to $50,000. Her ownership syndicate manager David McGrath, greatly heartened by veterinary opinion offered shares to four friends who agreed to come on board.
He was joined by his father John McGrath who lives in WA, Taz Roufos, and twin brothers Simon and David Basheer. Television sports fans will be familiar with the name of popular SBS commentator and presenter David Basheer whose trademark is his remarkable versatility. He’s covered a wide range of sports but is perhaps best known for his outstanding soccer commentaries.
Imagine the reaction of the ownership quintet when Icebath burst between horses to grab the lead in the shadows of the post on Saturday. They can be excused if they allowed themselves to think for one wild moment, that their $50,000 mare had conquered the might of the Godolphin racing empire. Even Colette’s jockey Koby Jennings wouldn’t allow himself to believe he’d got up in time. But he had! It was Colette by a mere short head and the $4.1 million dollar purse will go towards defraying some of Sheikh Mohammed’s inestimable racing costs.
The moment they hit the line in the Golden Eagle Icebath’s earnings took a quantum leap from $214,640 to $ 1,714,640. I wonder if Sheikh Mohammed is aware that the Golden Eagle prize money breakdown netted him another $160,000 in pocket money - Criaderas (8th) earned $100,000 and Flit (tenth) bagged $60,000.
Although it took Icebath five runs to win her Maiden, Brad Widdup never lost faith in the Sacred Falls filly. “She wasn’t disgraced in three pretty strong two year old races and was looking for the paddock after the Magic Night Stakes in which she finished well back,” said Brad. “Next time in she ran second in a Wyong Maiden but wasn’t herself. She was probably starting to feel her joints even then, and we opted for a very long spell. It was thirty weeks before the filly was seen again.”
Brad’s brother-in-law Christian Reith rode Icebath in her three runs next preparation for consecutive wins in a Newcastle Maiden and a Cl 1 at Kembla. Next time out she was a luckless sixth in a pretty hot 3YO fillies race, the Gr 3 Kembla Classic in which she was held up in the straight before finishing only three lengths behind the likes of Asiago, Shout The Bar and All Saints’ Eve who finished fourth in the Golden Eagle on Saturday. Shout The Bar won the Gr 1 Vinery Stud Stakes at her very next run.
Icebath (Christian Reith) wins her first race - Newcastle 17/02/2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Brad gave the filly a “freshen up” before her final two runs of the preparation, which resulted in a luckless second to Presence in the listed South Pacific, and a respectable third behind Dawn Passage and St. Covet’s Spirit in the Gr 3 Hawkesbury Guineas. “She hadn’t taken a lame step since the bone chip removal and you could see her getting better all the time,” said Brad. “I was pretty happy as she went to the spelling paddock.”
First up this current campaign Icebath was beaten only a neck by Zakat in a BM78 at Randwick, and followed that with a fourth, less than a length from Cristal Breeze on the same track. Then came a close second to Academy in a BM78 at Randwick with talented Criaderas in third place. Brad decided to “throw” Icebath into the Silver Eagle in the hope a prominent showing might springboard her into the Golden Eagle two weeks later. “The best she could do was fifth, 2.1 lengths from Flit after taking a while to get clear of a pocket,” he said. “That left me in a real quandary.”
The trainer had to decide between not running again and hoping she might still make the Golden Eagle field, or bringing her back to BM company one week before the $7.5 million dollar Rosehill race. He plumped for the latter, took 3kgs off her back by using Tom Sherry and crossed his fingers.
Icebath travelled sweetly in fifth spot one horse off the fence before coming to the outside on top of the rise. She actually accelerated on the Heavy 8 surface to trounce Vegas Jewel and Radipole over the 1600m. Brad’s gamble paid off when Icebath made the Golden Eagle field. Although a claim wasn’t needed, Brad and the mare’s owners elected to retain the rapidly improving young apprentice Tom Sherry.
This effortless win at Randwick gained Icebath a Golden Eagle start. The winning rider Tom Sherry retained the mount in The Golden Eagle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“I can’t remember a better week since I’ve been training,” said Brad. “Everything ticked over beautifully and both Icebath and Switched thrived in the stable. I went to the races thinking both horses would run out of their skins, and it actually happened. You don’t get too many weeks like that one.”
Louise Day, having her first ride on Switched, box seated on the All Too Hard mare before politely shouldering Lesage (Nash Rawiller) out of the way on straightening for home. She looked in danger of being run down by Hulk inside the 200m, but had his measure right on the line.
Icebath was a little worse than midfield at the halfway mark in the “Eagle”, racing between All Saint’ Eve on the fence and the winner Colette. As Koby Jennings navigated Colette to the extreme outside, Tom Sherry had little option but to seek room between horses. He was ever so slightly impeded when Bottega shifted inwards, but Brad was satisfied it didn’t cost Icebath the race. “She was in front three strides from home and had her chance to win,” said the trainer. “If you look closely at the replay you’ll notice she was in front again a stride or two past the post.”
The spelling paddock now beckons for a mare who has accumulated $1.7 million in just fifteen starts. She’ll return late this year to be prepared for an autumn campaign culminating in the Coolmore Classic. In the meantime Brad will make a quick little raid on the Flemington carnival with his talented mare Akari. This time last year the daughter of Snitzel bounced off a Maiden win at Wyong to win consecutive stakes races - the listed Reginald Allen at Randwick and the listed HKJC Stakes at Flemington. “ She hasn’t won since, but has run some top races in slick company,” said Brad. “I’m very happy with her currently and she’s worthy of another crack in Melbourne. She’ll run in the $250,000 Inglis Bracelet at Flemington on Oaks day. James McDonald will ride her if he appeals successfully against a suspension incurred on Saturday.”
Another Widdup favourite Akari (Christian Reith) wins the Reginald Allen at Randwick a year ago - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s unlikely any other Sydney horse trainer was better prepared for a solo career than Brad Widdup, who was reared in Albury and learned the basics from his father Pat. “Dad trained a few horses and was a very good breaker,” said Brad. “He was an all round horseman and some of the things he taught me have stuck to this day.”
Brad was twenty years old when he ventured to Sydney and was lucky enough to gain a start with Warwick Farm trainer Rod Craig who left him in charge of a small team, while he campaigned in Queensland with a smart two year old called Gold Archer.
Then followed a rewarding four years with expatriate Kiwi Brian Smith whose team included the bonny mare Circles Of Gold, winner of almost $1 million dollars. “I got to strap her when she won the AJC Oaks and several other races,” said Brad. “She did an even better job in the breeding barn as the dam of Elvstroem and Haradasun who won seven Gr 1’s between them while one of her daughters produced Highland Reel who won seven Gr 1’s in three countries.
When Brad’s tenure with Brian Smith ended, he was delighted to return to the Rod Craig stable. During this period he got to work with the remarkable Intergaze whose stellar career brought him twelve wins and fourteen placings for $3.7 million. Intergaze is best remembered for his convincing defeat of Octagonal at the champion’s final race start. That win in the 1997 Queen Elizabeth Stakes was one of Intergaze’s eight Gr 1 victories.
Brad’s next adventure took him to Queensland where he joined Liam Birchley as one of Bill Mitchell’s northern foremen. He replaced Peter Moody who had just embarked on a solo career. Brad spent four years in that role, but suddenly found himself keen to return to Sydney.
In 2003 he accepted an offer from Graham Rogerson who had a huge team in work at Randwick. “In the ten months I spent there, I got to work with Golden Slipper winner Polar Success, and three yearlings who were destined to make their marks,” said Brad. One was subsequent Cox Plate winner and champion stallion Savabeel, and another was smart racehorse and recently retired super sire Not A Single Doubt. The third was Econsul who wasn’t in the same league as the others but he did win the 2004 Caulfield Guineas.”
Brad Widdup was just warming up. There’s little doubt he could have made a good fist of training in his own right, but he was still thirsting for knowledge. He loved every minute of his four years as stable foreman to Kevin Moses at Randwick and then came an opportunity he chased keenly. He submitted an application when the Ingham’s Crown Lodge operation called for a stable foreman for head trainer Peter Snowden. Amazingly he was asked to attend an interview just six hours after lodging that application.
He was thrilled to gain the appointment, but totally unprepared for the shock announcement made by Bob Ingham just four months later. The chicken industry magnate rocked the racing world with the shock news that he’d sold his vast thoroughbred operation to Sheik Mohammed for the mind boggling sum of half a billion dollars.
“Everybody in the place felt the shockwaves of insecurity including Peter Snowden himself,” recalled Widdup. “It was well documented that part of the deal guaranteed the retention of existing staff, and Peter actually continued to train successfully under the Darley banner for quite some time. Eventually he decided to move on and set up as a trainer in his own right, and his subsequent achievements are legendary in Australian racing. He was succeeded by John O’Shea.”
After a rewarding nine years at Warwick Farm Brad felt the time was right to put his twenty four years of experience to good use. He commenced operations at Hawkesbury as recently as 2017. In addition to Icebath, Switched and Akari, he’s enjoyed a fruitful three years with horses like Sandbar, Junglized, Adelong, Rare Episode, Trengganu, Deepfield’s Raine and Showtime Lady.
He’s trained horses for people like Max Whitby, Neil Werrett, James Harron Bloodstock, Newhaven Park, Darby Racing, Fairway Thoroughbreds, Segenhoe, Vinery, Emirates and the China Horse Club. He got a pleasant surprise recently when high profile owner/breeder George Altomonte gave him four horses to train.
“Reputations don’t just happen, they have to be earned” is a creed adopted by many successful business people over the years. There’s little doubt Brad Widdup’s rising star in Sydney racing is the result of a talent developed over a quarter of a century, and a reputation for unshakeable integrity.
Sandbar has been a great money spinner for the Widdup stable. Here he beats stablemate Junglized and Beau Ideal at Rosehill 02/11/2019. Jockey is Christian Reith - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - A great result for Koby Jennings as Colette gets up in the very last stride to beat Icebath in the Golden Eagle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)