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Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup is keeping the lid on impressive Kembla Grange winner Rare Episode as he prepares the three-year-old for a city challenge.
It’s been a testing time for Widdup due to the charges of drug trafficking laid against his major stable client Damion Flower.
With Flower behind bars and restrictions placed on horses he owns competing in races WIddup has had to press on under considerable duress with a restricted team.
Rare Episode, owned by other stable clients, gave Widdup his 36th win for the season when he humped 60.5kg to an easy win over 1000m at Kembla Grange on June 1 for his fourth win from nine starts.
The merit of Rare Episode’s performance can be gauged from the fact that he gave up to 9.5kg to his rivals and clocked 55.87secs for the 1000m, reeling off a slick 32.29s for the last 600m.
Widdup, not one to get carried away too quickly with his horses until they have proven themselves in better company, is treating the gelding’s success with cautious optimism.
“Rare Episode is going well, but he has to now show that he can do it again in town,” he said.
“Most likely I’ll have to take him to town for a Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1000m at Randwick on June 22.
“There aren’t any suitable midweek races for him in the next few weeks.
“I’ll keep him to 1000m and 1100m races for now.”
Rare Episode’s four provincial wins have been at 1000m and 1100m.
He has started only once previously in town at the end of his first campaign when fifth to Zidane in a Benchmark 70 (1100m) against his own sex at Canterbury last November.
This campaign he has had four starts since April for two wins and a third at Newcastle.
Widdup is undecided whether to give stablemate Love My Cashews a break or try for another win.
The lightly-raced Star Witness mare won her first two starts at Gosford and Kembla Grange before an excellent third to Handspun over 1300m at Warwick Farm last week at her city debut.
* Hawkesbury’s longest serving trainer Ethne Potowski was back in the winning list at Kembla Grange on June 1.Potowski, a licensed trainer for almost 40 years, has only two horses in work and clinched her first success in two years when Happy Hustler broke through at his 20th start.
Potowski’s last city winner was at Warwick Farm on September 10, 2014. She trained her first winner at Kembla Grange in 1983.
