Widgee Turf could earn shot at G2 WFA race

Widgee Turf will run in another handicap as a precursor to a step up to weight-for-age.

Widgee Turf is scheduled to get one more chance to add to his season tally of six city wins in an open handicap at Caulfield which will double as an audition for a crack at a weight-for-age race.

A victory at Moonee Valley last Saturday week from the Patrick Payne-trained Widgee Turf added to the bargain buy’s already successful season.

Bought for $4500 as a weanling, Widgee Turf has already amassed more than $720,000 prize money and his wins during 2017/18 have included the Group Three Victoria Handicap at Caulfield in March.

Trainer Patrick Payne had been looking to give Widgee Turf his chance in the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) on June 9 in Brisbane but the gelding was balloted out.

Instead he stepped out at Moonee Valley a week later and hit the line well on his preferred rain-affected going, taking his record to nine wins and five placings from 19 starts.

Payne said Widgee Turf had come through his recent win in excellent order and he is looking to run the gelding again next month at Caulfield.

“There’s a race for him over 1400-metres at Caulfield on the 14th of July,” Payne said.

“We’ll see how he goes and if he happens to win that then he could go into the Peter Lawrence Stakes in another month’s time after that.

“(The Lawrence Stakes) is weight-for-age but he’ll be fit and he might still get soft ground.

“We could head down that path or if that fails then maybe he could go to a race like the Mildura Cup or just handicaps in Melbourne.

“He’s going to have a bit of a winter holiday here at the farm and just race monthly.

“Then we’ll work out what we do after that.”

The P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) is at Caulfield on August 18.