Talented stayer Thebudgiesmugla has validated the choice to bypass the Brisbane Cup and instead contest a Listed race at Rosehill, preserving its undefeated 2400-metre record.
Trainer Bjorn Baker, currently in England overseeing Overpass’s Royal Ascot campaign, selected Saturday’s The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2400m) in Sydney, believing it offered a superior path towards the Caloundra Cup (2400m) on July 4.
Last year’s Caloundra Cup winner, Half Yours, went on to achieve Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup success, and the Baker stable considers Thebudgiesmugla to be showing sufficient potential for similar aspirations next season.
“We needed to see him win it, and we needed to see him do it on top of the ground if he’s going to be competitive in better races,” Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, stated.
“We’d like to go to the Caloundra Cup with him. It’s in three weeks, 2400, good prizemoney race. It’s also a good form race for a few other races later in the year. Half Yours won that race, so we’ll head the same way.”
Thebudgiesmugla, which began its career in New Zealand, has now secured four victories in Australia, all over the 2400-metre distance.
With Dylan Gibbons aboard on Saturday, the even-money favourite settled just behind the leaders, relaxed effectively during the race, and finished strongly on the outside to beat Black Run ($7.50) by three-quarters of a length. So You Are ($8.50) finished a further half-head back.
Hilton confessed to feeling anxious as the field approached the turn, but noted that Gibbons understood the horse’s capabilities.
“I was getting itchy feet coming to the corner and willing Dylan to get going on him, because we know he takes time to wind up,” Hilton said. “But he really fights when he gets there. He doesn’t really dash but he keeps grinding. He’s still really raw, and I think there is plenty to come.”
Gibbons has been the partner for Thebudgiesmugla in three of its four Australian wins and, like Hilton, is confident the five-year-old can continue its upward trajectory.
“He is built so athletic, he’s got the best attitude. He saves every penny, and he can be tough and outstay them all day,” Gibbons remarked.
While Baker was in London promoting Australian racing, Sky Racing’s Greg Radley humorously suggested to Hilton that his boss might pose for a photo in budgie smugglers outside Buckingham Palace.
“Don’t joke about it. You know he’ll do it,” Hilton responded with a laugh.
The Caloundra Cup on July 4 looms as the next target for Thebudgiesmugla, with many punters already looking at Australian betting sites for early racing odds.