Thebudgiesmugla primed for spring carnival after Caloundra Cup win

Trainer Bjorn Baker has indicated that Thebudgiesmugla will likely bypass the upcoming Grafton Cup, with his sights set firmly on the spring carnival, specifically targeting a Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double.

This impressive run comes from a five-year-old gelding who initially arrived from New Zealand with questions surrounding his suitability, with some believing he might be better suited to jumps racing after a poor showing in a restricted provincial race.

However, Thebudgiesmugla, campaigned by Scott Darby's Darby Racing, has since triumphed in five of his eight starts. His recent successes include the Winter Cup and Caloundra Cup double, cementing his status as one of the most promising stayers currently in training.

"Thebudgiesmugla just keeps improving," Baker commented. "He's only lightly-raced, he's a typical Kiwi stayer who is still maturing and he will be even better again next season."

"There is some thought to going to the Grafton Cup and, although you never make decisions on raceday, I'm leaning to giving him a break and setting him for the spring carnival. I'll have to sit down with the owners (Darby Racing) and work out what we do with this horse, you can't run in everything, but we don't know how good he is just yet because he keeps raising the bar every start."

The heavily backed Thebudgiesmugla ($2.35 favourite) produced a scintillating finishing burst to claim victory by a half-length from the tenacious So You Are ($5), with Caboche ($8.50) a distant third, nearly three lengths adrift.

Punters' faith in the favourite was rewarded by leading Aussie betting sites, while So You Are and Caboche provided good value in betting apps Australia markets.

Jockey Dylan Gibbons, who had planned a winter break in Fiji, delayed his holiday to partner Thebudgiesmugla, reaping the rewards with the gelding's commanding win.

The journey from a mid-winter Caloundra Cup to the prestigious Caulfield and Melbourne Cups is substantial, but the performance of Half Yours, who accomplished the same treble just 12 months prior, offers a precedent.

Earlier, the Tom Charlton-trained Cellarmaster proved too strong in the Group 3 Winx Guineas over 1600 metres.

Cellarmaster ($5.50) edged out Platinum Pantheon ($6.50) in a tight finish, with Rustemo ($8.50) securing third place, just over a length behind the leading pair.

Cellarmaster returned a winning dividend of $5.50 according to leading betting sites with sign up bonus, while the favourite, Within The Law ($2.60), failed to impress after attracting significant support.

Within The Law, the $2.60 market leader and stablemate to Thebudgiesmugla, settled just off the leaders and secured an inside run in the straight but faltered in the run to the line, finishing sixth and beaten by more than three lengths.

Charlton expressed his satisfaction with Cellarmaster's breakthrough feature race victory.

"He enjoys being ridden a bit quieter, and we have learned that with him. It was a good performance," Charlton stated. "I think he'll keep improving, he's definitely not the finished article. He's a chance to run a bit further in time as well."

Charlton recounted that following Cellarmaster's third-place finish in Sydney's Phar Lap Stakes during the autumn carnival, the decision was made to target the Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm. However, the gelding finished fifth behind the talented Skyhook.

"We thought the Gunsynd was his sort of race, which it arguably was, but it was a bit stronger than normal because those horses like Skyhook didn't get a run in the Stradbroke," Charlton explained. "But this was a touch weaker. We'll give him a break and think about what we do. He is Magic Millions eligible so whether we think late summer prep into the Magic Millions, or whether we give him a couple of weeks off and come into the spring, we need to figure that out."

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