Trainer Bjorn Baker has revealed plans that will likely see Thebudgiesmugla bypass the Grafton Cup this month, with the gelding now being aimed at the lucrative spring carnival, potentially targeting both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.
This remarkable turn of form comes from a five-year-old gelding who originally hailed from New Zealand, arriving with initial reservations that he might be better suited to jumps racing after an unimpressive performance in a provincial restricted race.
However, Thebudgiesmugla, a star for leading syndicator Scott Darby of Darby Racing, has since amassed five wins from his eight starts. His notable victories include the Winter Cup and Caloundra Cup double, establishing him as one of the most promising stayers in current racing.
“Thebudgiesmugla just keeps improving,” Baker commented. “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 powerful finishing surge to win by a half-length from the valiant So You Are ($5), with Caboche ($8.50) finishing a further three lengths back in third.
The favourite lived up to punters’ expectations with leading Aussie betting sites, while So You Are and Caboche presented value in betting apps Australia markets.
Star jockey Dylan Gibbons made the decision to postpone his planned winter holiday to Fiji to ride Thebudgiesmugla, and his commitment was rewarded with the gelding’s impressive victory.
It represents a significant leap from a mid-winter Caloundra Cup to the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, but the precedent was set by Half Yours, who famously completed that treble just 12 months ago.
Earlier in the day, the Tom Charlton-trained Cellarmaster claimed victory in the Group 3 Winx Guineas over 1600 metres.
Cellarmaster ($5.50) narrowly defeated Platinum Pantheon ($6.50) in a thrilling conclusion, with Rustemo ($8.50) securing third place, just over a length behind the frontrunners.
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 perform despite attracting substantial market support.
Within The Law, the $2.60 favourite and a stablemate of Thebudgiesmugla, settled behind the leaders and gained an inside run at the top of the straight but lacked the finishing kick, ultimately crossing the line sixth and beaten by more than three lengths.
Charlton expressed that Cellarmaster was deserving of his significant race win.
“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 mentioned that after Cellarmaster’s third-place finish in the Phar Lap Stakes in Sydney during the autumn carnival, the team opted to target the Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm. However, the gelding finished fifth behind the highly-rated 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 prospects, explore the available racing odds at online bookmakers.
