PERTH BUY PROVES AN “ANGEL” AT SCONE

PERTH’S Magic Millions yearling sale might attract even more interest in future from Hawkesbury’s leading trainer Brad Widdup.

A first time visit there last year with his major client, Mike Gregg’s Mulberry Racing, resulted in the purchase of four fillies – and two of the three which have so far raced have won.

Widdup produced Playing Gold three-year-old Azure Angel – the dearest of the foursome at $210,000 – at Scone today for an immediate result.

And whilst her debut success certainly wasn’t a surprise, her price indeed was.

Ridden by Christian Reith, Azure Angel ($7.50 after $13 was bet) turned in an impressive performance, surging home from well back on the hone turn to comfortably dispose of $3.60 favorite Borderfall and Avista ($5) in the Maiden Plate (1200m).

“I really like this filly,” Widdup said this evening.

“I thought she was good enough to have a crack in town at Rosehill Gardens last week against her own sex in a Maiden Plate (1200m), but she didn’t draw the best.

“Scone was the next option and I was very surprised double figure odds were offered.

“It’s a particularly good result to win first-up with the filly for Mike, who is the biggest supporter of our stable.”

Widdup trialled Azure Angel (whose dam, the Hurricane Sky mare Angel Sky won five races in WA) twice in winter, then gave her a break before trialling her twice again; at Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm on October 13 and 31 respectively.

“She wasn’t pressured in either trial, and I was confident she would be hard to beat at Scone,” he said.

An indication of the trainer’s opinion of Azure Angel can be measured by the fact that he went back to the same sale earlier this year, and purchased another Playing God filly (now a two-year-old) from the same breeder for $90,000 on Gregg’s behalf.

Azure Angel was Widdup’s 20^th winner of the current season, and his career 438^th.

The filly’s partner Christian Reith notched his 62^nd winner for Widdup, and is easily his most successful rider.

Bondi Blossom (a daughter of Bondi) was the first of the Perth buys to score when she took a Provincial Maiden Plate (1600m) at Gosford on November 6.

Provided Azure Angel comes through today’s run well, Widdup intends to press on with her.

“I can’t say what her ceiling might be, but she needs to get some racing experience now,” he said.

Newcastle’s leading trainer Kris Lees missed out in Azure Angel’s race with Newy (sixth at $5), but won the previous race, the 1400m Maiden Plate, with $2.90 favorite Crathie Kirk.

Ridden by Alysha Collett, the Ole Kirk three-year-old filly broke through at only her third start.

Crathie Kirk, in defeating fellow Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle’s Satin’s Legacy ($7.50), provided Lees with his 27^thwinner of the season.

Story John Curtis, November18, 2025