Bright future for filly on hunt for back-to-back wins, says Waugh

2 hours ago 3

By Ray Hickson

December 30, 2025 — 5.00pm

She’s got attitude, she has plenty of potential and trainer Kim Waugh is confident the best is still to come from lightly raced filly Brightburn.

The three-year-old has all the attributes Waugh likes in a young filly and she’d love to close off her first preparation with successive wins in the Jojo’s Party Hire Handicap (1100m) at Gosford on Wednesday.

Waugh has been enamoured with Brightburn, a dominant maiden winner on her home track at Wyong on December 20, since the Deep Field filly was given to her by Marquee Stud to train.

“I always liked her, she’s a very athletic, pretty, filly,” she said. “And that was day one before we even got near galloping. She just had all the things you like about a nice filly.

“But she is cranky, you’ve got to be very careful with her. A lot of good fillies are like that. When we’ve finished with her for the morning, she gets left alone and she’s happy.”

Brightburn has been sent out odds-on in both starts to date, bumping into Shady Road (subsequently second to the unbeaten Plaintiff at Randwick) at Newcastle on debut before her easy all-the-way win.

While she has had only two runs, and her first trial was in early November, Waugh said she was not keen to press any deeper into the preparation as it has been longer than it looks.

“We took a while to get her ready to go to the trials, a bit of weather and this and that, and just for a young filly having her first prep she’s been in a while,” she said.

“She’s still got a lot of maturing to do but she’s come a long way. She’s showing all the right signs at the moment, she’s a pretty impressive little filly.”

Keagan Latham continues his association with Brightburn and, from what the Wyong trainer can see, she’ll have every chance to go out a winner.

“She’s drawn lovely, a perfect draw really, and [Keagan] can work out where he wants to be,” she said.

“If she lands in front that’s fine and if they want to go a bit silly, she can come back and take a sit. They say it’s hard to win the next one after the maiden but, all I can say is, she’s well.”

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