Widden-born Flex chases G3 Widden Stakes win

Widden Stud may not have a runner carrying its famous silks in this weekend’s Rosehill race named in its honor, but the stud’s influence will still be felt in the $250,000 Group 3 Widden Stakes.

Leading contender The Playwright is sired by Widden stallion Written By, while another runner, Mac Daddy Flex, was foaled at the renowned Hunter Valley property.

Mac Daddy Flex is out of Japanese mare Beluga, who resides at Widden and is owned by Robert Anderson. The daughter of Capitalist was one of many foaled at the stud in 2022. Although not among the most expensive, she was still a standout, fetching $250,000 at the Inglis Premier sale, purchased by Will Johnson and Annabel Neasham.

“She was a stunning yearling, a near-black filly and quite striking,” recalled Widden principal Antony Thompson. “She was just a very classy sort of filly with a big Japanese pedigree.”

Mac Daddy Flex is the product of Anderson’s strategic move into the Japanese bloodstock market. He acquired Beluga for ¥45,000,000 (over AU$500,000 at the time) at the 2016 JRHA Select Sale. The daughter of Kinshasa No Kiseki out of Kris S mare Admire Light raced in Anderson’s purple and yellow silks in Japan, where she won a Group 3 race over 1400m as a two-year-old before her career was cut short by injury.

Beluga boasts an exceptional pedigree featuring stars from both Japan and Europe. Admire Light is a half-sister to Group 1-winning sprinter Sleepless Night, while their granddam Katies won the Irish 1000 Guineas and was crowned England’s Champion 3YO Filly in 1984. Katies also produced Katies First, who is the granddam of Japan Cup winner and Japanese Horse of the Year Admire Moon, as well as Tenno Sho and Arima Kinen champion Efforia.

“Beluga was an exciting two-year-old in Japan. She was a Stakes winner and was an early favorite for a Group 1, but unfortunately, she injured her hock, so we never saw her full potential,” Thompson said.

“Her pedigree has real depth. Capitalist is an out-and-out two-year-old with a Golden Slipper pedigree, but Beluga’s side goes back to a Horse of the Year, with several champions in there. There was every indication that Mac Daddy Flex would be up and running at two and hopefully train on.”

Mac Daddy Flex has been preparing for the 1100m Widden Stakes with two official trials—finishing third last spring before a fourth-place finish in an 800m Hawkesbury heat on January 20, where she was beaten three lengths by Burma Star.

Trained by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, Mac Daddy Flex will be the second runner produced by Beluga. Her older half-brother McAdam, a three-year-old by Snitzel, is set to race at Moonee Valley on Friday night. He was a $350,000 Inglis Easter yearling purchase and is trained by Danny O’Brien, who also oversees Kala, a Lord Kanaloa mare Beluga was carrying when imported to Australia.

Beluga, who turns 10 on February 11, did not produce a foal the year after Mac Daddy Flex but delivered a Zoustar colt last August and is now in foal to Tassort.

Mac Daddy Flex is currently listed at $14 for the Widden Stakes, with Chad Schofield to ride from barrier two. Thompson is eager to see her continue the family's tradition of Black Type success, especially in a race that last year produced Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot.

“The Widden Stakes has traditionally been a really strong race, with a lot of top-class fillies winning it,” Thompson said. “It’s a race that looks great on a pedigree page, and many Widden winners have gone on to be exceptional broodmares. It’s a crucial race for breeders to secure a valuable Group 3 performance at two.”

Previous winners of the Widden Stakes who went on to Golden Slipper glory include Overreach and Mossfun, while recent standout victors include Away Game and Learning To Fly.