Tulloch Lodge will consider setting The Playwright on the same path Lady Of Camelot blazed 12 months ago after the filly emulated her Golden Slipper-winning stablemate by claiming the Widden Stakes.
Lady Of Camelot took out the fillies’ feature last year before going on to beat all but Haysugi in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) in Melbourne.
The Playwright remains in the mix for the Victorian two-year-old feature and co-trainer Adrian Bott says it is high on their list of options.
“We kept her in the Blue Diamond acceptances. Lady Of Camelot won this race last year and went down for the Diamond,” Bott said.
“She is seasoned to do it. She has got the right attitude to do it. Or we’ll just stick to a few fillies races here (in Sydney).”
The Playwright was coming off a two-start Queensland campaign in which she placed in the B J McLachlan Stakes and finished fourth in the Magic Millions Classic, both over 1200m.
Fitted with blinkers on Saturday to keep her sharp for the 100m distance drop, The Playwright was able to execute a plan by connections to utilise her race fitness over less experienced rivals.
“That was the design of race we wanted to see, to make it a nice test for them and have them chasing throughout, and she was able to be too tough,” Bott said.
“That’s her best asset, she is so tough.
“She has got some black-type now for her residual, so if this happens to be the last run of the campaign she has done a great job.
“But with the constitution she’s got, I do feel we can keep going.”
The Playwright was co-trainer Gai Waterhouse’s eighth Widden Stakes winner and her second in partnership with Bott.
Winning jockey Regan Bayliss had high praise for the filly, who he said was small in stature but incredibly game.
“She’s just one out of the box, this filly, and she feels small everywhere until you jump out of the barriers on her. She’s got so much heart and force,” Bayliss said.
In a driving three-way finish, The Playwright ($3.80) held on by a short neck over Tempted ($3.30 fav) with Snitzel Miss ($3.60) another short half-head away third.
The runner-up did a tremendous job after settling a clear last from her wide draw and making up many lengths to just miss, while Snitzel Miss was also impressive on debut.
