Bridal continues winter Waltz in the 2025 Bletchingly Stakes

Bridal Waltz has added another feature race to her record, with the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly capturing the $200,000 Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

The Snitzel filly, who had already claimed the Listed Creswick Stakes (1200m) at Flemington earlier this month, has now won five of her 12 career starts. Her trainers had initially planned to send her to the paddock, but her rich vein of form encouraged them to race on.

“Now she’s made herself a valuable little girl, she’s a multiple Stakes winner, Stakes-placed and it’s been well-deserved,” Moody said.

“I’ve thought for her last couple of run she probably goes for a spell, but we’ll probably take her home and rinse and repeat; give her a week down the beach, reassess and have a look.

“It’d be nice to lift the bar a little. Do we find a mares Group 2 or something like now we’re a Group 3 winner, or we have a few weeks off and come back at Flemington in November and chase a little Stakes race there away from the A-graders?

“But, you never know, she might become an A-grader one day the way she’s going.”

Bridal Waltz ($4.60ef) took up a handy position outside Recommendation ($6), last year’s winner, before striking the front 150m out and holding off Kin ($5) in a tight finish. Yellow Sam ($6) ran on for third, three-quarters of a length away.

Ben Melham, who rode the winner, explained his mid-race tactics.

“Initially I thought he (Recommendation) was going to go a little bit slower than I would have liked, so I stayed out there and just forced him to come up inside me and go the tempo I wanted to go,” Melham said.

“It worked out well for us. He got going before the corner, but I had a little weight turnaround on him and she was too good.”

The victory denied James Cummings a final feature win for Godolphin Australia and left Craig Williams, who finished second on Kin, seven wins adrift of Blake Shinn in the premiership despite saluting earlier on Stylish Secret.

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