Icebath after rich wildcard

[Wandering Eyes]

Trainer Brad Widdup is still hopeful his star mare Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls) can gain a berth in next month’s A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m).

The daughter of Sacred Falls has already featured in two other Australian rich features, finishing runner-up in last year’s A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m), and winning the inaugural A$2 million The Invitation (1400m).

However, the five-year-old would need a wildcard to make the field, so Widdup is currently playing the waiting game but has several other targets in-mind.

“The target will be the Doncaster (Gr.1, 1600m),” Widdup told Racing HQ.

“She was nominated for the All-Star Mile and there are still a couple of wildcards to go there.

“A high-class mare like her they are letting sit on the shelf a bit so they probably need to be having a look at her.

“There is plenty of racing in Sydney and we will look at something like the Coolmore (Legacy) or George Ryder (Gr.1, 1500m).”

However, Widdup currently has his attention with the mare firmly set on Randwick on Saturday where she will line-up in the Gr.2 Guy Walter Proven Thoroughbreds Stakes (1400m).

She finished sixth first-up in the Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at the Sydney track earlier this month and Widdup has been pleased with her progress since then.

“She is in good order,” Widdup said. “She had a nice, solid hit-out first-up. We kicked her off over 1400m and she took no harm out of that at all.

“She is ready to go, is very well and has been ticking over very nicely.”

Widdup purchased the Waikato Stud-bred filly in Australia as a yearling for $100,000.

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