Hidden Witness opened Friday’s Morphettville card with a first-up win that turned out to be the easiest of the meeting.
Never sighted on debut at Morphettville in June, she resumed in the Sportsbet Maiden Plate (1050m) and came from ten lengths off the leaders turning for home to win hard-held by Jacob Opperman.
“She still new but that was as easy as you like,” co-trainer Will Clarken said. “She’s a beautiful filly but can be hard work. Thanks to Kayla Crowther for all the time she’s put in helping to get her right. And based on that performance, I’m sure she will go on with it.”
Hidden Witness (pictured) was a high-priced $325,000 graduate of the 2022 Adelaide Magic Millions. She was bred and sold by Kambula Stud’s David Toole and Shane Doyle and they kept shares in a syndicate headed by Ridgeport owner Santo Guagliardo.
Newgate Stud’s successful speed stallion Capitalist (Written Tycoon) sired her from Tagreeda (Fastnet Rock) who hails from the family of champion filly Alinghi (Encosta De Lago).
“We thought she was the best filly at the Magic Millions,” Clarken recalled. “She looked so fast with a massive shoulder and hindquarters.
“One of the agents who came down from Sydney thought she was the best Capitalist he had seen all season.”
Hidden Witness was kept safe on the third line of markets at $6 but Clarken was none the wiser about her chances on Friday. “We don’t have access to the course-proper at Murray Bridge and there’s been very few barrier trials.
“It’s hard to school them up and it’s hard tipping them to the owners if they want a bet. But Santo is an impulse man and I’m sure he would have chimed in late.”
Opperman admitted he was worried in running before electing to weave through the field and save ground instead of scouting wide. “She was travelling but we were on the back of a few that weren’t going to take us into the race. I bided my time but knew she would have be good to win from that far back.
“I rode for luck and she kept building and building. In the end, she got the job done with that motor.”
With a black-type pedigree and the potential to rise through the grades, Hidden Witness will be a prized addition to the Ridgeport Farm broodmare portfolio when she eventually retires to the 160-acre Waroona nursery that was purchased by Guagliardo last year.
