Metropolitan hopeful Thebudgiesmugla is undefeated in five attempts over 2400 metres and will seek to make it six when he contests the Drinkwise Cup at Randwick.
The six-year-old was a revelation of the off-season, winning three of his four starts between May and July. These victories included the Winter Cup at Randwick and the Caloundra Cup in Queensland, both contested over the same distance as Saturday’s race.
With the benefit of a recent fourth-place finish behind Boniface over a middle distance, Thebudgiesmugla is expected to be a strong contender at Randwick.
“He was great first-up and he’s five from five at the 2400 and gets 2400 again on Saturday,” trainer Bjorn Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, remarked.
“It wasn’t always in our mind to run Saturday. We were going to give him a bit of time into the Newcastle Cup, but this race came up, and it looked so good for him we decided to run him.”
“He is obviously a bit better with his toe in the ground, but he’s putting together some good performances on better ground as well.”
Thebudgiesmugla is currently positioned on the fourth line of early markets for The Metropolitan at $11 and is the $2.25 top pick for the Drinkwise Cup.
His most significant challenge might come from stablemate So You Are.
So You Are, a recent addition to the Baker stable, was less than a length behind Thebudgiesmugla in both the Winter and Caloundra Cups. Furthermore, So You Are finished ahead of his stablemate in their last starts.
However, Hilton suspects that the horse, known colloquially as “Thebudgie”, possesses more scope for improvement.
“So You Are had a little bit more residual fitness than TheBudgie first-up,” he stated.
“He’s going to strip a bit fitter as well, but I’d say TheBudgie has got a bit more improvement to come.”
Interestingly, Baker only achieved his first city winner of the season on Wednesday with Appeared at Warwick Farm. The leading trainer had experienced a challenging start to the new term, with seven second-place finishes, two of which were recorded by the speedy filly Blue Door in stakes races.
Betting markets for the race are already heating up at Australian betting sites.