IT’S time!
At least that’s what Kim Waugh is hoping eventuates at Royal Randwick on Saturday in the $500,000 Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championship Final (1400m).
And you couldn’t blame her.
The Wyong trainer has not missed qualifying at least one runner, and sometimes more, for each of the eight finals at The Championships since it was first run in 2015.
In fact ,she has qualified 15 horses and has had five placings – Oxford Poet in the first year, His Majesty (2016), Newsfan (2018), Spring Charlie (2019) and Oxford Tycoon (2020) – without being able to claim the first prize.
Waugh will saddle her lone representative, three-year-old True Crime (Tyler Schiller) in this year’s Final, and again is looking forward to the feature race, with everything crossed 2023 will finally be her year.
“Surely it’s time,” she said. “Whilst we have been placed in the Final five times, luck hasn’t really been with us.
“We had two of our qualifiers Manhattan Mist (2018) and Great News (2021) scratched on the morning of their respective races.
“Both were ready to go into their Finals in good form. Manhattan Mist ran second in the Wyong Qualifier and then won a Benchmark 75 Handicap at Gosford 18 days later, whilst Great News easily won her Qualifier at Gosford and then ran second in a Saturday Benchmark 88 Handicap at Rosehill Gardens.”
Waugh’s True Crime was a $25,000 cheapie purchased by successful syndicator Darby Racing at the 2021 Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association yearling sale, and has won four of his nine starts.
“Darby showed me the videos of a couple of yearlings, and I picked True Crime out,” she explained.
“He was a lovely athletic horse and I said: “I’ll have him thank you’.”
Though True Crime goes into The Final in winning form, market assessors are somewhat overlooking him, being a $19 chance currently.
His trainer certainly isn’t overlooking him, though.
“True Crime drew wide when he won the 1400m Newcastle Qualifier on March 9, and then won a 1200m Gosford trial 15 days later,” Waugh said.
“I’m really happy with him, and the likelihood of heavy ground isn’t bothering us at all.
“True Crime raced twice at Randwick last winter as a late two-year-old, and both were on heavy tracks, as was the recent Gosford trial.
“He was a close second on a Heavy 9 at his first Randwick start last July, and 14 days later won easily on a Heavy 10.
“True Crime is in great order, and I’m expecting him to give us a great sight.”
HOOFNOTE: Even if Waugh misses out on Saturday’s Final, she can still lay claim to training the “program” at Hawkesbury’s Saturday stand-alone meeting in 2015 with her inaugural Final third placegetter Oxford Poet!
The now retired 12-year-old at his next start after the then Provincial Championship Final won the opening race, a Benchmark 85 Handicap (1300m), at Hawkesbury on a ‘Heavy 10’ – and the remainder of the meeting was called off because of the conditions.
KIM WAUGH’S QUALIFIERS
2015 – Oxford Poet (3rd), Supreme Effort (14th)
2016 – His Majesty (3rd), Hetty Heights (6th), Supreme Effort (13th)
2017 – Calabas (6th)
2018 – Newsfan (2nd), Manhattan Mist (SCR)
2019 – Spring Charlie (2nd), Fuchu (7th), Safado (12th)
2020 – Oxford Tycoon (3rd), Celer (15th)
2021 – Great News (SCR)
2022 – Great News (5th)
*Words John Curtis - April 6, 2023 - Pics Bradley Photos*
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