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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Brad Widdup will have plenty of thinking to do if promising stayer Tenbury Wells runs up to his hopes in Saturday’s Group 3 $500,000 TAB Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill.

Trainer Brad Widdup (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It’s very much a fork in the road for the three-year-old with options like the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), where he’s an $8 chance, later this month and a Victoria Derby to mull over.

The colt was tested against star peer Broadsiding in the autumn, but it all came a bit too soon, and Widdup said with that experience he’s toughened right up and his form says he’s earned the chance to head toward the classics.

“He’s done nothing wrong this time in. He’s always shown a bit and he’s been terrific since he’s come back, he’s really grown up mentally,’’ Widdup said.

“I think he’s a nice horse, he’s mature for his age and he’s going really well.

“This time of year it’s not always the superstars, the ones that are mentally and physically mature can have the wood on them.

“I can’t fault him, he’s had a good preparation leading into this.”

Tenbury Wells, $5 with TAB on Wednesday, arrives at the Gloaming with successive Kembla Grange wins against older horses on a good track over a mile and on heavy at 2000m under his belt.

The latter was some thing of a Plan B as he was due to run on his home track at Hawkesbury a couple of days earlier but that meeting was washed out.

“He had to run that week to be right for this week,’’ he said.

“He was very good and he handled the win very well, we could have run him again the next morning.

“He’s a real tough type of horse and I’m sure he’s going to be respectable in the race.”

From the inside barrier Widdup said Tenbury Wells will be able to make his own luck up on the speed as he’s done in his two wins.

He says as promising as the horse is he still has to prove himself against the likes of Swiftfalcon, who won at Randwick last week, recent Group 2 placegetter Henlein, and another emerging type El Castello – the trio above him in the Spring Champion market.

“He’s been handling that way of racing, I think he’s adaptable but he seems to enjoy racing up on the speed,’’ he said.

“I think he’s more than capable, I’m not going to get carried away but he’s a really tough horse and doesn’t do a lot wrong.

“He handles getting out over ground and that’s a big part of it. We’ll use this race to see which way we go.”

While Tenbury Wells is fancied in his assignment, stablemate Maili is the outsider in the Listed $500,000 Tapp-Craig (1400m) but Widdup said the throw at the stumps will serve her well for the future.

Tenbury Wells wins at Kembla Grange on September 28

The filly was Listed placed before a break at Eagle Farm in June and is fitter for her unplaced effort first-up at Newcastle.

“She ran well up in Brisbane, she’s probably not ready for this at the moment,’’ he said.

“I think she’s an autumn filly to be fair but she’s an honest type and it’s good prizemoney. I’m happy to expose her at the moment and see if we can toughen her up, but maybe it’s a little bit early for her.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting