CROFT’S DEBUTANTE A $61 THRILLER AT RANDWICK

TERRY Croft received a pleasant surprise when he took a phone call from Peter Wynne after this year’s Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale.

Former Richmond publican Wynne had already purchased a Zoustar filly from Positive Problems for $270,000 for the Hawkesbury trainer, and rang to say he was sending another filly to him.

He had purchased an Ole Kirk youngster for $280,000 after she had initially been passed in.

That filly races as Thrill Hunter and hoisted the long-serving Hawkesbury mentor back into the city spotlight with a longshot victory on debut at Royal Randwick yesterday.

Not even a slipped saddle could stop Thrill Hunter ($61), thanks to a brilliant piece of horsemanship by her jockey Ash Morgan, taking the Kirkham Plate (1000m) for two-year-olds.

The Hawkesbury filly deservedly took the honours, defeating two of the fancied runners, Pearl Of Dubai ($4.40) and $4 favorite Defensemen, who fetched a cool $1.4m at the same Easter sale as the winner.

“Peter has recently sold the Royal Hotel at Richmond, and we went to the Easter sale and liked a couple of fillies who were standouts,” Croft said today.

“We had already bought the Zoustar youngster (Lot 111) for $270,000, and were hoping to also get the Ole Kirk filly, who was 37 lots later.

“However she was passed in.

“Thrill Hunter is out of an old mare (she is 20-year-old Seeking Attention’s 11^th foal), but that didn’t worry me.

“The former USA champ Secretariat was out of an old mare. Sometimes their latter foals turn out to be the best.

“Peter went back and was able to buy her, and rang to say he was also sending her to me.”

For a hard worker who previously never had the opportunity to start precocious two-year-olds early in the season, yesterday’s result was a real feather in Croft’s training cap.

He was successful with another young filly Gilette- also at good odds, $41) – late in the two-year-old season at Canterbury on May 28, and this was his first metropolitan winner in the new season from only a few starters.

Croft didn’t hesitate to take Thrill Hunter, which is raced by Wynne’s partner Kim Anderson, to town to begin her racing career.

“She was a cracking looking filly at the Easter sale, and was broken in by Sam Woods, who felt she would be an early goer,” Croft explained.

“Thrill Hunter had two nice trials (she was placed in both) at Warwick Farm on October 3 and Rosehill Gardens 10 days later.

“Ash (Morgan) rode her in the first trial when she was a close second to Ciaron Maher’s filly Wings Of Glory (yet to race).”

Thrill Hunter has pulled up well, and her subsequent progress will determine where Croft heads next with her.

“There’s the Golden Gift (worth $1m) at Rosehill on November 8, and we might even go to Melbourne for the Inglis Banner the same day,” he said.

The Inglis Banner (1000m) will be run for the first time at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival, and also carries a $200,000 Pink Bonus for the first eligible horse home.

HOOFNOTE: Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup had placings at Randwick and The Valley yesterday, and also was successful with Dodgy Freckle in the Maiden Plate (1200m) at Mudgee.

Stable apprentice Poppie Gorton led throughout on the four-year-old mare to give Widdup his 13^th winner of the season.

Stablemate Ruby Flyer ($18) enhanced his chances for Tuesday week’s $3m Big Dance (1600m) with a strong-finishing second over the same course and distance yesterday, and his trainer is hoping for a wet track.

Widdup’s beautifully-bred mare Sunset Park ($71) was an unlucky third in the Group 2 Tesio Stakes (2040m) at The Valley, and will remain in Melbourne for another assignment.

Fellow Hawkesbury trainer Jackie Greentree claimed her first winner of the season at today’s Coonabarabran Cup Showcase meeting.

Greentree’s aptly-named Sunday ($3.40), ridden by Jake Pracey-Holmes, took the Rural Class 1 Handicap (1400m).

Sunday, a lightly-raced five-year-old mare, was having her 11^th start and broke through after two placings at Newcastle in March and Coonamble earlier this month.

Story John Curtis, October 26, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos