Widdison to take Bendigo chance with Doll

Trainer Craig Widdison thinks Bendigo Guineas emergency Toffee Doll could be the best he has had.

Wodonga trainer Craig Widdison will take the opportunity to run Toffee Doll if the filly can gain a start at Bendigo.

Like a lot of other racing participants, Widdison will make the most of his chances while he can and is keen to start Toffee Doll in Saturday’s Bendigo Guineas (1600m) for which she is first emergency.

She will be Widdison’s sole runner at Bendigo while he has nine runners engaged at the secondary Victorian meeting on his home track.

Widdison regularly takes horses across the border to NSW, and while they are allowed to race neither the trainer, nor his staff, can accompany them.

The trainer could send horses with a public float company and ask a registered NSW trainer or their representative to saddle up, but Widdison says the logistics are too tough.

That limits the options for his horses mostly to the north-east of Victoria, but he is prepared to travel with Toffee Doll who Widdison says is potentially the best horse he has trained.

To date, Toffee Doll is the winner of one race from four starts, and is coming off a second in the Albury Guineas last Friday.

“There’s probably a better race for her a week later for three-year-old fillies over 1400 metres at Caulfield, but if she gets a run at Bendigo, I won’t be waiting,” Widdison said.

“I think she’s as good a horse as I’ve had.

“It was pretty hard to watch her getting beaten at Albury last week. Not much went right, but she came through it great.”

As a back-up plan, Widdison has entered Toffee Doll for two races at Sandown on Wednesday.

“Fingers crossed racing will keep going,” he said.

“She is one that I won’t mind travelling with.”