Maiden Group 1 on cards for Toby and Trent Edmonds
The father and son duo have had a season to remember, their first in partnership, and are aiming to cap it with a feature win on Saturday
Father-son training duo Toby and Trent Edmonds will aim to cap their maiden season as a partnership in the best way possible when they send out leading chances in the last two Group 1 races of the season, the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) and the J J Atkins (Gr 1, 1400m), at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The Edmonds’ send out Wisdom Of Water (Headwater) and The Drinks Cart (Unencumbered) in the J J Atkins, while they will also be two-handed in the Stradbroke Handicap with Tyzone (Written Tycoon) and Winter Bride (Not A Single Doubt). Not only would it be a first Group 1 win for Trent Edmonds in his first year as a handler, but it would also be a maiden top-level success for Toby Edmonds after more than three decades in the training ranks.
It’s a long way from a Gatton maiden, in which the pair had their first success together in August. That came on their second day as a training partnership, with Trent officially joining his father’s operation – at least in name – at the start of the 2019-20 racing season.
“It’s been a great start,” Trent Edmonds told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. “We took a couple out to Gatton in country Queensland for our first winner pretty quickly and everything has snowballed since then. We’ve taken horses to compete in Melbourne during the spring, we had a winner down there, Winter Bride ran second in New Zealand in the Railway.
“We’ve been knocking on the door, Wisdom Of Water was our first Group winner for the partnership and I’m really hopeful that Saturday we can conquer that final frontier, so to speak. If we could knock a Group 1 off, either one of them, it would be the icing on the cake for what has been a great season already.”
The 29-year-old Edmonds, who acted as foreman for his father before joining the training partnership and travelled Houtzen (I Am Invincible) to Royal Ascot last year, said that there wasn’t much of a difference in the day-to-day operations of the yard since his name had been officially added to the partnership.
“Not a great deal has changed as far as the training and the like goes,” he said. “It’s been more me becoming front-line and working with owners on a regular basis. Prior to that, I wasn’t needed in that regard, when it comes to things like communications with clients.
“That’s been the major difference and it’s been quite good, I don’t mind doing that; I like that side of things, talking to clients and obviously when they are able to be at the races, witnessing what one of their horses winning does to them. It’s actually fantastic. We’ve got a fair few horses in work now but we’ve formed a lot of close relationships with a fair few of our clients.”
Ken Russell Memorial Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Wisdom Of Water shapes as the main J J Atkins danger to Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) quinella Rothfire (Rothesay) and Isotope (Deep Field), currently sitting on the third line of betting at $5.50 with TAB before this morning’s barrier draw. The race this year is over 1400 metres, shorter than its usual 1600 metres.
“He’s done great,” Edmonds said. “He’s interesting stepping up to the 1400 metres on pedigree but I don’t see it as a big problem to be fair. He keeps getting better and better. So hopefully Saturday, grand final day, he’s at his best.”
Wisdom Of Water’s two wins this campaign have both come when he has led, taking a four-horse set weights event at the Gold Coast by five and a half lengths before adding the Ken Russell by almost three lengths when superbly away from the gates. However, he had settled beyond midfield in two runs at the Gold Coast in January, including when fourth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m), and Edmonds believes that those tactics may be employed on Saturday.
“I think actually he’s better when he gets cover and he can settle in behind them and then let rip,” he said. “I think he’s a far better horse when he’s able to do that. I don’t think he’s got to lead to be honest. We’ll wait and see how the draw goes and what the race looks like on paper. I don’t see any problem at the 1400 metres, the barrier draw is going to be crucial.”
Robbie Fradd will maintain his association with Wisdom Of Water, who is now co-owned by Aquis Racing in conjunction with original owners Golden East Horse. The chestnut colt was purchased by Blandford Bloodstock for $70,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, having been offered by breeders Eureka Stud.
Fradd has also partnered The Drinks Cart to two easy wins this preparation, but as of yesterday, Edmonds said they were still trying to sort out a rider for the Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) gelding.
“We are still unsure about who will take the ride at this stage, Matt McGillivray was going to ride him but he had a ride for Chris Waller at one point and then he was injured,” Edmonds said.
Rags-to-riches two-year-old The Drinks Cart, purchased by Jayson Pate for just $2,000 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale last year, is yet to race in stakes company. However, he finished less than a length behind Wisdom Of Water at the Gold Coast in January and has won impressively over 900 metres and 1100 metres at the same track this time in.
“He put them away pretty quickly last start – the further they went the further he was going to win by,” he said. “The second horse had trialled up pretty smartly giving us five kilograms, so, although it was only a Friday Gold Coast open two-year-old race, it was still a fairly solid win. Not many babies win like that with 60 kilograms, do they? So it was a pretty good effort.”
While yet to step beyond 1100 metres, Edmonds has come to believe that The Drinks Cart will be able to see out the 1400 metres of this year’s J J Atkins.
“Initially, I did think (it might not suit), but judging off that last win where he settled back and he travelled beautifully, he was so tractable and we’ve done a fair bit of work with him since, I don’t see any problems. We’ll probably just ride him pretty conservatively and then let him move up like he did the other day.”
Tyzone returns to the Eagle Farm 1400 metres for just the second time since he charged into second behind Trekking (Street Cry) in last year’s Stradbroke Handicap. He is entering off an eye-catching fifth in the Victory Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) behind Victorem (I Am Invincible).
Intriguingly, Tyzone carries 52.5 kilograms, compared to 53 kilograms last year, while Trekking has gone up four kilograms to 58 kilograms, meaning that there is a 4.5-kilogram swing for a length and three-quarter margin.
“My word, he went super the other day,” he said. “This has been 12 months in the making, this whole plan to have him back and peaking for Stradbroke day for the next year. Literally, they were going across the line in last year’s race when he ran second to Trekking and we were putting the wheels in motion right then to plan to have him back 12 months later and go one better.
“He’s been ticking along beautifully, his last two runs have been sensational. He’s flying, he’s going great, so I’m really looking forward to Saturday with him. Actually, he’s going to carry a half-kilo less this year than last year which is interesting. Last year, we gave Trekking a kilogram but this year he has 58 kilograms and we have 52 and a half, so he meets him much better.”
Winter Bride, who will be partnered by Jake Bayliss, steps up to 1400 metres for just the second time; the first, also at this course and distance, saw her finish midfield in last year’s Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m).
“It’s very important that she draws a barrier,” Edmonds said. “We took the ear muffs off her last start and she raced extremely fierce, so that was not ideal. We’ve stuck quite a bit of work into her since that run. She’s clearly a query at 1400 metres, but if she draws softly and we drop her down straight away and we put the ear muffs back on, she races well with those on, she can be in the finish.
“She’s a high-class mare, drops to 51 kilos, a postage stamp weight, and I think we just need to get it right. We desperately need a barrier for her to lock her down pretty quickly and get that all-important cover.”
Beyond Saturday, the team is already looking ahead to the future, with the partnership preparing for an even stronger sophomore season after recording 120 winners Australia-wide already this term.
“We’ve got 90 horses in work and we’d probably have 160 horses on the books,” the younger Edmonds said. “Every season you try to set more goals, whether it be to better your prize-money or your winners tally or your stakes winners tally. That’s what we’re about to do – look at what we want to achieve while building the quality of our horses and providing winners for our owners. I feel that we’re doing a pretty good job, there’s still a lot of work to be done but I think we’re on the right path.”