Edmonds set to shoot for the stars with Extragalactic
After some out of this world performances by Extragalactic (Deep Field), Trent Edmonds is hopeful his banner filly can give his solo training career lift-off as he ponders whether to throw the daughter of Deep Field (Northern Meteor) in at the deep end in The Goodwood (Gr 1, 1200m) on Saturday week.
Extragalactic peeled off the fastest closing sectionals of the Morphettville meeting last Saturday when registering the first stakes placing of her nascent career in the Tobin Bronze Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m); and in light of how swiftly the three-year-old has recovered from her exertions Edmonds is leaning towards elevating his sights to Group 1 grade with the first horse he bought after branching out on his own.
Her runner-up finish gave the filly ballot exemption into South Australia’s premier sprint race, and judging by the recent record of Tobin Bronze winners subsequently running in The Goodwood – Reserve Bank (Capitalist) and Royal Merchant (Merchant Navy) did the double in 2025 and 2023 respectively – Extragalactic would certainly not be out of her depth.
Edmonds will leave the decision to the 11th hour, with the Pakenham-based horseman prepared to send his prized asset to the paddock should she show any sign of having come to the end of her prep; but if the filly continues to thrive and show her customary appetite for her work, he will happily roll the dice.
“She’s been perfect and hasn’t left an oat in her feed bin since the run,” Edmonds told ANZ News.
“She travelled back to Pakenham in great order and has been very fresh since she got back, so I really can’t fault her. It was her first trip away so you’re always a little bit concerned with how they’re going to handle it, but she’s got a lovely temperament and she took everything in her stride.
“It was obviously a massive run in the Tobin Bronze, we gave away a huge lead at the top of the straight so she did an amazing job to finish less than a length behind a smart colt [Tycoon Star]. The wide barrier played a big part so I would be pretty confident that if she’d drawn in and got a softer run, the result may well have been different.
“But a top-three finish gets her into The Goodwood, so we’ll have to take a serious look at running her in the race. We nominated her on Monday morning and given how well she’s come through her run on Saturday, it’s definitely in the front of my mind now. We don’t have to make a decision right away but it’s either run her in The Goodwood or send her for a spell, and at this stage she’s shown me no indication that she needs a break.”
While Edmonds readily concedes his progress has been steady rather than spectacular since making the move from his native Queensland in early 2024, to saddle up a Group 1 runner just two years into his new venture would certainly represent a sudden spike on his growth chart.
Before relocating his young family to the chillier climes of Victoria, Edmonds trained in partnership with his father Toby at the Gold Coast Turf Club, and it was at the adjacent Magic Millions sales complex in January 2024 that he first clapped eyes on the horse that could come to define his early tenure in his adopted state.
Since the filly had been plucked from the previous year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale for the not insignificant sum of $220,000 – and by a very astute judge in Suman Hedge – Edmonds naturally assumed that, as a young trainer with a limited budget and few backers to rely on, Lot 415 would be well outside his price range.
However, perhaps due to her diminutive frame and the fact that her dam Alliterate (Al Maher) was neither a racetrack star nor a proven producer, he managed to seal a deal for $160,000 for the filly, who was bred by Deep Field’s former owner Alan Bell.
With only tentative offers of support at that stage, Edmonds’ outlay still represented something of a risk but he has been duly rewarded for his bold bid with Extragalactic already recouping her purchase price from a six-start career which has yielded three wins and a pair of placings.
“She wasn’t overly big but she’s very athletic, and that’s what I’m always looking for in any horse,” Edmonds said.
“You could tell that she needed time and was never going to be an early two-year-old type, so I knew we’d have to be patient but she had the potential to grow and develop into a beautiful filly. I had to take a bit of a punt because I didn’t have the biggest budget, and to be honest I didn’t think I’d be able to afford her but maybe she fell through the cracks. I bought her on spec, because at that stage I’d only just announced that I was going out on my own so I didn’t have any clients to back me.
“But luckily I managed to fill her up with some great owners, and they’ve also since jumped into some other horses in the stable so she’s already been good for my business. I’ve had a few other inquiries since she’s come along but if she were to run in The Goodwood and run well in it, which we think she could, then you’d like to think the phone might start ringing with potential new owners.”
Edmonds was under no illusions about the scale of the task he faced when he effectively started a new operation from scratch, but the hardships the 35-year-old has faced have certainly tested his character and resolve.
The training ranks in Victoria are fiercely competitive, with the Darwinian survival of the fittest model exacerbated by an increasingly uncertain economic climate, so to build a sustainable model as a relative unknown is no easy feat.
At times, Edmonds has been moved to question his sanity for his decision to leave the relative safety and sanctity of a successful training partnership with his old man; but with some nice young horses coming through and Extragalactic garnering plenty of attention since opening her autumn campaign with a 3.5-length romp, the future looks considerably brighter now than it did 12 months ago.
“There’s no doubt it’s been tough, in fact very tough at times,” he said.
“We’ve turned the corner to an extent thanks to this filly, but we’ve still got a stable full of either lightly-raced or unraced horses. So that’s clearly a challenge when you’re trying to make a name for yourself and garner a bit more support.
“I’m working my backside off but winning is the best currency in this game, and until she [Extragalactic] came along we probably hadn’t been doing that enough. Winning city races is the only real way to get your brand out there and show people that you’re capable. There have been times when I’ve questioned my sanity but there’s no point whinging about it, and for the most part I’m really enjoying the challenge.”