Kentucky Miss Can Win Again In Widden Stakes

Trainer Joe Pride is confident that talented filly Kentucky Miss can make it two wins from as many starts when she contests the 2016 Widden Stakes at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow.

Brenton Avdulla has been booked to ride Kentucky Miss in the 2016 Widden Stakes at Rosehill Gardens. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Brenton Avdulla has been booked to ride Kentucky Miss in the 2016 Widden Stakes at Rosehill Gardens. Photo by: Daniel Costello

Kentucky Miss stamped herself as a filly to follow when she scored a narrow victory in a barrier trial over 809 metres at Warwick Farm on December 18 and she was nothing short of outstanding when she recorded a dominant win in the More Than Just Winning Maiden (1000m) at Warwick Farm on January 7.

Pride is confident that Kentucky Miss still has plenty of upside left in front of her and he told Racing Ahead that the daughter of Foxwedge has done nothing wrong in the lead-up to the Widden Stakes this weekend.

“She is a really exciting filly,” Pride said.

“I have been very pleased with what she has done since she joined the stable.

“She came off the back of one lifetime trial to put in that performance first start in a race, which I thought was exceptional.

“She goes into this race tomorrow with improvement out of that run and I am very pleased with her.

“She is a really straightforward filly and she is really easy to deal with.

“Rain does hold any fears for her, she skipped across that ground really well first-up.”

Kentucky Miss is the only horse in the Widden Stakes field with previous racing experience that is yet to taste defeat, but she is on the fourth line of betting behind Aghna ($4.40), Honesty Prevails ($4.80) and So Serene ($4.80).

Aghna finished third behind Capitalist and Niccolance when she made her racing debut in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic (1100m) on December 17 and that form was franked when that duo both went on to run well in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast.

The Foxwedge filly was quickly supported when the Widden Stakes betting market was opened earlier this year and she is now into $4.40 to record a maiden race win.

The other market mover has been Rick Worthington-trained Honesty Prevails, who has recorded two wins from as many barrier trial appearances at Royal Randwick.

Honesty Prevails opened at $6, but there has been consistent support for the Redoute’s Choice filly and she is into $4.80.

So Serene made her racing debut with a second place finish behind Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Extreme Choice in the Inglis Nursey (1000m) at Royal Randwick on December 12 and along with Godolphin-owned Chipanda she is the only other horse available at single figure Widden Stakes odds.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.