Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Written by Paul Vettise
Genuine mare Adelong (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) has consistently raced in strong company and she posted a deserved success in the Listed Bob Charley AO S. to boost her future broodmare value.
The 5-year-old has a smart pedigree, which is now complemented by her Randwick victory to lift her profile and a black type credit that was atop trainer Brad Widdup’s wish list.
Under the Hawkesbury conditioner’s guidance, Adelong has won eight of her 17 starts and had previously placed at Listed level in the Gold Rush on her home course and in the Ortensia S. at Rosehill.
“Obviously, racing is all about breeding and you have to be very mindful of the value of a black type win for a well-bred mare,” said Widdup, who also sent out a winning double at Newcastle on Saturday.
“It was great to get that win on the board, especially for her breeding career down the track. When you go back through the horses she has raced against it showed we didn’t duck and dive with her, you’ve got to have a go and she’s bounced back and got that win.
“It was great to get that win on the board, especially for her (Adelong) breeding career down the track.” – Brad Widdup
“I’m going to give her a bit of a break and will probably just keep her to 1100 metres. There’s the Toy Show, which she ran in last year and a few other options.”
Adelong took on strong company through last winter and early spring and was sixth in the G3 Toy Show last year and only 2l off quality mare Sweet Deal (Casino Prince). She then ran a close fifth in the G2 Sheraco S. behind Haut Brion Her (Zoustar), who two outings later was fifth in The Everest.
“She needed a throat operation and that’s well behind her now and we can plan better,” Widdup said.
Online purchase
Among Adelong’s ownership group is Sydney breeder Michael Coleman, who purchased her as a 3-year-old for $10,175 off digital platform bloodstockauction.com when offered by Emirates Park.
“Instead of paying $1 million, $500,000 or $250,000 or those sorts of numbers, I could see a photo on bloodstockauction.com and she looked a nice type. I kept bidding up and obviously won the auction,” Coleman told TDN AusNZ after she had won six of her first eight starts.
“She would have been a $300,000 yearling if she had gone through the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, all the big names are there in the breeding.”
Adelong is a daughter of the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Snowgums, who is a half-sister to the G1 The Galaxy H. winner and sire Snowland and his stakes-winning brother and sire Snippetson.
Snowgums is also a half-sister to the dual Group 2 winner Portillo (Red Ransom {USA}), dam of the G2 Surround S. winner Ghisoni (Lonhro), while Group 1 winner and producer Myboycharlie (Ire) also appears on the pedigree page.
At the double
Completing a rewarding weekend for Widdup were the successes at Newcastle of the lightly raced pair of Pensera (Pierro) and Queen Bellissimo (NZ) (Swiss Ace).
Brad Widdup
“It was a very good day and Pensera is a well-bred filly having her first preparation with me and she seems like she will get a lot further,” he said.
Pensera was originally bought out of Murrulla Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft for $500,000 by Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Blue Sky and is a daughter of Streama (Stratum), a four-time Group 1 winner.
Queen Bellissimo has won three of her four starts for breeder Gerry Harvey and the last foal out of Princess Zanzibar (Royal Academy {USA}), whose four wins included two as a juvenile.
