THURSDAY: February 20, 2025: DARRYLL Kell is eyeing his first Provincial-Midway Championships runner, and Brad Widdup rung up a career 400 wins with the first overseas horse he has prepared.
The two Hawkesbury horsemen both had special reason to celebrate victories with their respective favorites at their home track today.
Kell, a former harness racing aficionado, has done a superb job with Mahogany Girl, a Mum who has made a successful return to the track after a long break, whilst Widdup, whose career began on a winning note with Junglized at Canberra’s synthetic track in May 2017, not only won his 400th race, but also brought up the Hawkesbury training base’s 100th winner this season.
And his success with impeccably bred four-year-old Sea The Stars mare Sunset Park also lifted him to the lead in this season’s local trainers’ premiership.
Kell understandably was looking forward to bringing six-year-old mare Mahogany Girl back on March 8 for a 1400m PMC Qualifier, which is restricted to provincial horses, after she returned from a short break to trounce her rivals in the Richmond Club F&M Benchmark 64 Handicap (1300m).
Ridden by Chad Lever, who knows Mahogany Girl like the back of his hand, she had the race won a long way out, leading all the way.
Mahogany Girl was placed on debut at Wagga in January 2022 on a heavy track, then didn’t race again until September last year after being taken over by Kell.
In the interim, she was mated with Peltzer and foaled a colt on October 6, 2023.
He is now a yearling, and will be broken in shortly.
Mahogany Girl’s dam Casinoholic also foaled a colt by Peltzer a few weeks earlier.
Kell has now won three races – all at Hawkesbury – with Mahogany Girl, so it’s no surprise he is keen to give the mare her chance to qualify for the$1m PMC Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.
“We noticed this race today a while back and gave her a short break after she won over 1500m at Hawkesbury on December 15,” he said.
“Everything worked out well. She had a good jumpout at home, trialled well at Warwick Farm and worked strongly on Monday morning.
“I was pretty confident she would run well today. She presented so well that I feel it’s the best I have had her.
“Provided she continues to please me, the next Hawkesbury Qualifier on March 8 looks very suitable, especially as it is for provincial horses only.”
Widdup clinched his 43rd winner of the season, rather ironically with a mare bred on the other side of the world, when Sunset Park ($2.25 favorite) led throughout in the Clarendon Tavern Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (2000m).
Though she won only narrowly from $21 chance Adios Steve, which nearly gave Mahogany Girl’s rider Lever a double, Widdup was pleased with her performance.
“That was only her third start and first at 2000m, and it’s not easy to do it all the way,” he said.
“It would be nice if she was a three-year-old filly to aim at an Oaks, but she is now a four-year-old.
“There’s no doubt she has further improvement, and I’ll be guided by her progress as to where we go next with her.”
Sunset Park not only provided Widdup with his 400th career success, but also the lead in the Hawkesbury trainers’ premiership.
He has trained nine winners at home so far this season, one more than training partnerships Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.
Sunset Park was purchased unraced in the UK by Sydney businessman Adrian Whittingham. Her sire Sea The Stars is regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time.
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