Racing
Brayden Star wins the Herbert Power Stakes: Post Race Trainer and Jockey Quotes
Trainer and jockey quotes following Brayden Star winning the Group 2 Sportsbet Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
Race Result:1st: Brayden Star (T Busuttin & N Young/C Williams) - $6.502nd: Plymouth (B, W & JD Hayes/J Melham) - $4.00 equal fav
3rd: Whisky On The Hill (G Thompson/D Lane) - $4.00 equal fav
Winning Time: 2:32.99 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Long Head x Short Head
Winning Trainer: Trent Busuttin & Natalie YoungHerbert Power Stakes | Brayden Star
Brayden Star FIGHTS hard, lifting off the canvas to claim his spot in the Caulfield Cup next week
Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/0lNlu7hLJg
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 11, 2025
Trent:
Going better than ever?: "He had the better part of probably six months off after the spring last year. He's a seven-year-old, he's taken a while to get to things. I thought he went great last start. He sort of got taken on from the twelve hundred and just knocked up. I thought this could be his race today."
"He's a genuine horse. He's been thereabouts and it looked a nice race for, he was good to kick back, the other horse had him cold, but he was strong."
Scratched from Melbourne Cup last year: "He's the soundest horse you'll ever see. He's never had a shot of cortisone, obviously, the Melbourne Cup is different standards, the scans are what they are. But we were flat as anything when he was scratched out of the Cup because we knew there was nothing wrong with the horse. And as you can see, there's nothing wrong with him now, so it's just straightforward."
Backup to suit: "I'd say he will be. It's a big step up. It's a 5 million dollar race or whatever it is. And he's still keen enough in the first half of the race, we pulled the blinkers off him because of that. So it's a seven-day backup, it'll knock the edge off him and he'll run all right."
Natalie:
Third time lucky: "It sure is, and it's finally gone our way! He just jumped brilliantly, and going down the straight here, I said, oh, don't lead, don't lead, Willo, don't lead! And Smokin' Romans managed to get up, following him forward. He just had a beautiful run in transit, and I love the way he really stuck his head out that last 150 metres and really fought. We took the blinkers off; he just over-raced a touch his last few runs, and it's just great. It's great for the team, we needed this win."
Back up in Caulfield Cup?: "Obviously he'd have to come through the race really well, it's all about the horse. So if he comes through it well, possibly, we'll have a talk to Seymour Bloodstock.
"He'd have to come through it well, there are options. You've got the Geelong Cup, you've got the Moonee Valley Cup, or you could just go straight into maybe a Melbourne Cup.
"I don't know, we tried to get there last year and it didn't quite go our way. But it's just great that this horse has bounced back after the year that we've had. The owners have just been so patient with it, all the protocols that we had to go through with him and it's just fantastic that he's bounced back and won today."
Winning Jockey: Craig Williams
Tough: "He certainly was. I rode him in this race last year, and when my manager said that we had to ride, he said, and the horse is going better than last year, and you ran well in this race last year."
"So, I can understand that. So, thanks to my manager, thanks to this horse's determination, performance, and of course his trainers in Natalie and Trent. They've done it, and all their team has done a really good job with him. He's pulled up, and he's ready to go again."
Blinkers off: "They had blinkers on him all this preparation, and they came off it today, and they were really fair in their instructions from a wide-ish draw and said, look, just ride him where he's comfortable.
"So I basically had an open book. He was dancing around a lot in the gates, and I had snow out with him just to keep him calm, and as it turned out, he pinged the lids, and I was able to get into a nice position. He raced really well and kind for me, and when the chips were down, he was headed and he fought back to win."
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