Philipsburg primed for Highway raid

[Wandering Eyes]

James Ponsonby has set a long-range goal to qualify Philipsburg (NZ) (Per Incanto) for next year’s Country Championships Final – if he can keep the horse in Australia. 

Ponsonby, who was the foreman for Mark Newnham at Warwick Farm before venturing out on his own almost 12 months ago, revealed Philipsburg has attracted interest from Hong Kong buyers, although the young horseman isn’t keen to sell. 

“At the moment we’re just trying to bat away a few Hong Kong people from buying him off us,” Ponsonby said. 

“We own 50 per cent of him so it’s not terrible, but it’s very hard to give up your best horse.” 

Ponsonby bought Philipsburg for A$20,000 at an online sale nine months ago and the horse has gone on to bank more than $74,000. 

The Per Incanto gelding had kicked off his career with an unplaced run in New Zealand before he was transferred to Kacy Fogden in Queensland where he had three barrier trials but never raced. 

Since joining Ponsonby’s team, Philipsburg has lined up seven times for three wins on the country circuit and two Highway Handicap placings, including a first-up second to Sunrise Ruby at Randwick on July 31. 

The four-year-old gets another chance to put a Highway victory on the board at Kembla Grange on Saturday and from an inside draw in one, Ponsonby expects him to be hard to beat. 

“Naturally he benefitted from the run and on Tuesday when he had his last piece of work, he gave me a great impression of how he’s going. I can’t ask any more of the horse at this stage,” he said. 

If Philipsburg can get the job done on Saturday, he is likely to have one more run before being spelled and aimed towards next year’s Country Championships during the Sydney autumn carnival. 

Philipsburg is a son of Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto, who is fully booked for the 2021 breeding season.

Per Incanto finished the recently completed 2020-21 season clearly atop the stallion premiership in Hong Kong both in terms of winners and wins.

His 17 winners were four more than the next best, Exceed And Excel and Snitzel, while the 30 wins his progeny recorded were 10 clear of Snitzel and Deep Field.

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