Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup is rolling the dice at Flemington, sending Jedibeel south for a shot at the VRC Champions Sprint (1200m) on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The six-year-old son of Savabeel will be having his first Victorian run at start number 25, having worked his way through the grades in Sydney and stamping himself twice at Stakes level.
Jedibeel claimed the Listed Razor Sharp Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last December before taking out the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) in March.
Since then, he has lined up in three Group 1 sprints, finishing in the second half of the field each time, including his most recent outing in The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 18.
Despite his unplaced form heading into The Everest, Widdup said the gelding had been tracking well.
“He has been really good all preparation,” Widdup said.
“I had to scratch him from his first scheduled run, but since then he’s been good. He ran great in The Everest.”
Widdup opted to bypass last Saturday’s Russell Balding Stakes (1300m), citing the barrier draw and race shape as key reasons.
“He just drew awkwardly in the big field, and I didn’t want to waste a run,” he said.
“He gets a trip away to Melbourne now and we’ll see what happens.”
Jedibeel has been well-schooled working the Melbourne way at Hawkesbury, though racing down the Flemington straight presents a unique test.
“It should suit him,” Widdup said.
“He has worked the Victorian way quite a bit, but up the straight is a bit different again. If he can stalk them and get out late, I’m sure he’ll run on strongly.”
