Brenton Avdulla boots home Grahame Begg's Bugaboo at Kembla Grange yesterday. Picture: ROBERT PEET
KEMBLA GRANGE
Bigger targets await on Derby Day, but the weeks of Grahame Begg and Brenton Avdulla gathered momentum after the pair combined to snap the maiden status of Argentine-bred Bugaboo at Kembla Grange yesterday.
Pitchforked into the Benchmark 69 Handicap (1600 metre) despite still being eligible for easier races, Bugaboo showed a blinding turn of foot to justify the faith of punters who sent her out as a $3.20 favourite in the small field.
"I know it's a big step not running her in a maiden, but we decided to race her on a big track and we get a city-class jockey on her," Begg said. "We ran her here in a maiden the other week and we experienced a little bit of difficulty getting runs in the straight with big fields. It's nice just to get a win on the board."
The Mutakddim four-year-old, out of Argentine mare Bavarian, impressed behind city winner Havana Rey last preparation before running into dead ends when resuming at Kembla earlier this month.
Avdulla, who will partner red-hot favourite Howmuchdoyouloveme in the Yellowglen Stakes (1200 metre) on Saturday, tipped Bugaboo to have a bright future.
"I've always had a good opinion of her, but she's always raced out of her grade a little bit," he said. "Every time she's come back to a maiden she's always been unlucky. It was good to get a win with her [yesterday] and hopefully she can progress."
"We've had a lot of problems with her, no injury problems just a few niggly little problems and it's taken us a little while to get her going again," Begg said.
"It's just very, very good to win a race with her."