The Brisbane Cup will be among the options considered for emerging stayer Thebudgiesmugla after he maintained his unbeaten 2400 metre record with a hard-fought win at Randwick.
Purchased out of New Zealand by syndicators Darby Racing, Thebudgiesmugla has now won three of his six starts for Bjorn Baker, all over the mile-and-a-half journey.
While his half-head margin over Casual Connection in Saturday’s Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation Handicap was narrow, Baker said the five-year-old was entitled to be out on his feet late given he was rising 300m in distance and lumping 59.5kg.
“He’s a Darby horse, they’re always tough and they always fight,” Baker said.
“It was a good effort. He was still going to be vulnerable late up to 2400 with the big weight and I think we can look at better options.
“He’s a really good stayer in the making, and it was good to see him win.”
Ridden by Josh Parr, Thebudgiesmugla ($3 fav) hit the front early in the straight and did a good job to fend off Casual Connection ($10), with Hutchence ($41) best of the rest, another two lengths away third.
Baker confirmed the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on June 13 was a potential target for the winner, who he believed was a dour stayer.
“We’ll definitely look at it,” he said.
“I think the further you go, the better he gets, and he loves the wet tracks.”
Less than 10 minutes after Thebudgiesmugla’s win, well-bred stablemate I Am Dirty collected a valuable black-type win with a dominant performance in the Bill Carter Stakes (1350m) at Eagle Farm to give Baker an early two-state double.
Jockeys competing in the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation Handicap wore black armbands in memory of veteran Queensland rider Shane Mcgovern, who tragically died on Saturday due to injuries he sustained in a trackwork accident at Charters Towers in April.
