WYONG apprentice Anna Roper capped a huge week by winning her first city race at Warwick Farm today.
The 21-year-old’s victory on Kembla Grange trainer Paul Murray’s mare Lady Redwood ($21) in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (2100m) was her sixth since yesterday week.
But Roper’s master Damien Lane has stressed there will be no rush for her to ride more regularly in town.
“Anna is going great, and it was terrific to see her break through in the city today,” Lane said this evening en route home from the Muswellbrook meeting.
“But she still has seven more wins left before she loses her country claim.
“Then we will concentrate on the provincials.
“Of course there will be midweek opportunities in town from time to time, but there’s definitely no rush to go there on a regular basis yet.
“Anna could have had several rides at Muswellbrook, but she had ridden Paul Murray’s mare twice previously for a second at Kembla Grange over 1600m in August and sixth in a similar race to today at Warwick Farm on September 20.
“He wanted her to stick with Lady Redwood, and it worked out well.”
Roper made a successful entry into racing at Gundagai in April last year, scoring on Alpha Go at her first ride, and then bagged another 14 winners in the remaining months of the 2021-22 season.
She had piled on a further 41 wins in the first four months of the next season before an after-race accident at Muswellbrook on November 25 put her out of the saddle for eight months.
Roper was dislodged from $31 chance Stable Talk returning to the enclosure that day, and was transported to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital with knee and back pain.
She subsequently underwent surgery on her right knee to repair the medial cruciate ligament.
Only two days before the Muswellbrook mishap, Roper had three rides at the midweek Warwick Farm meeting for two placings (one of them a second on Lane’s mare Denetta at $61) and a fourth.
She joined Lane’s stable in mid-June to ready herself for a return to race riding, and has now racked up another 18 winners.
Her current run began at Taree yesterday week by winning on Edge Of Midnight, a double on Fine Vintage and Press The Pedal followed on the Beaumont track two days later, then she scored on Bare The Witness for her boss at Taree last Friday, and Hide Your Heart at Newcastle a day later.
“It should have been seven for the week as she was very unlucky not to have also won at Newcastle on Paul Perry’s mare Myeyesadoreyou,” Lane said.
. Whilst Roper was on top in town, such wasn’t the case with Lane’s mare Oakfield Redgum ($2.60 favorite), who finished last of the seven runners in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m) behind another Wyong representative, trainer Tracey Bartley’s mare Irish Kisses ($3.80).
“Oakfield Redgum likes to lead on her own, but didn’t get any peace and she has had enough for now and will go for a break,” Lane said.
. The bumble bee colours of premier Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup’s Jedibeel stung bookmakers in the closer at Warwick Farm.
As much as $9 was bet about Jedibeel, who started favorite at $4.20 in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) and was the final leg of Irish Kisses’ jockey Tyler Schiller’s treble after scoring earlier on hotpot Facile.
Widdup purchased the now four-year-old Jedibeel for $190,000 at the 2021 Inglis Classic yearling sale on behalf of Sydney businessman Michael Gregg, who races the horse in the colours of his University of NSW Cricket Club.
Though Jedibeel’s pedigree – he is by Group 1 Cox Plate winner Savabeel from an unraced O’Reilly mare (Starry) – suggests he might handle a middle distance, sprinting certainly appears to be his forte.
“We had genetic testing done which indicated he is a sprinter, and the way he is racing, why would you want to push him out further anyway,” Widdup said this evening.
“Jedibeel is doing a terrific job. He has raced seven times for three wins and four placings (one of them when narrowly beaten on resumption at Kembla Grange in August at virtually level weights by recent Flemington winner Dancing Alone).
“I will probably have to go to a Saturday race in town now, but I feel he is up to it.”
Widdup has entered his recent first-up Royal Randwick winner Ausbred Flirt for both Rosehill Gardens ($1.5m Alan Brown Stakes, 1400m) and Flemington (Group 2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes, 1400m) on Saturday.
He is favoring sending the five-year-old mare, successful at five of her 12 starts, south to compete against her own sex, and has Craig Williams on standby for the mount.
Williams provided Widdup with his maiden Group 1 success on Icebath at Flemington last spring.
At Muswellbrook, Gosford trainer Kylie Gavenlock clinched a first-up win with The Denzel ($8) in the Class 2 Handicap (1280m).
The former Sydney gelding was one of Newcastle jockey Aaron Bullock’s three winners; the others being Muswellbrook stablemates Iron Hat ($7) and Borrowed Luck ($2.25 favorite).
*Story John Curtis, October 2, 2023 - Pics Bradley Photos*
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