YELLOW BRICK BEATEN BUT UNBOWED AT RANDWICK

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 23, 2025

Taking part in the second last race on the card … the ninth race … on a Heavy 10 racing surface was always going to be a testing challenge for the eight runners who lined up in the Group 3 Show County Quality over 1200m at Randwick on August 23.

For the Tony and Maddysen Sears trained Yellow Brick the race conditions were certainly not the preferred option, but the plan was always to get a race into him on his way to the Bill Richie (and then on to The Epsom) and the son of The Mission duly faced the starter and jumped at a starting price of $8.50 having drifted from an earlier call of $6.50 … which placed him on the fourth line of betting.

Yellow Brick began on terms with the field and Andrew Mallyon then allowed his mount time to settle into a comfortable rhythm before easing Yellow Brick forward to find third place, two out and two lengths back, after the field had travelled 300m.

With Your Blessing ($17) and Just Feelin’ Lucky ($6) were the two horses in front of Yellow Brick at that stage while the eventual winner Lazzura, another $6 chance, raced at the rear of the field, s little under three lengths behind Yellow Brick.

With Your Blessing gave a good kick on straightening, but several other runners matched that change of gear, most notably Lazzura who sliced between runners as he accelerated with meaning with With Your Blessing very much in his sights.

Try as he might, With Your Blessing could not contain the finishing effort of Lazzura though and the Chris Waller trained found the lead with 100m left to run and he extended his lead to a neat length at the line. (Lazzura would frank the form of this race by winning the Group 2 Let’s Elope at Flemington in his next start).

All of which makes Yellow Brick’s fourth place finish a run full of merit … particularly being first-up under the steadying burden of 60kg which meant he carried 4kg more than the winner Lazzura and 6kg more than the runner-up With Your Blessing.

Yellow Brick had boxed on gamely enough in the straight. While he did not threaten the result he did finish with more horses behind him than in front of him … beating home horses such as the July Sprint winner Romeo’s Choice, the race favourite Corniche, the Group 3 Aurie’s Star runner-up Bandi’s Boy and the Group 3 Gunsynd winner Just Feeling Lucky.

Yellow Brick and With Your Blessing will renew their rivalry in the Group 3 Bill Richie Handicap which will be contested over 1400m at Randwick on September 20.

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