YELLOW BRICK UNPLACED IN THE BILL RICHIE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, September 20, 2025

With a month in between the run in the Group 3 Show County (on August 23) and his Group 3 Bill Richie (on September 20), both at Randwick, the Sears training partnership took Yellow Brick back home to the Gold Coast for a freshen-up after the Show County.

Putting a trial win behind him on September 9, it was then all systems go for Yellow Brick as he moved on, ready to face the starter in the Bill Richie where he would again have to give chunks of weight (from 2kg to 6.5kg) to all but one of his nine rivals.

The positive factors were that the race went up from the 1200m of his previous start to 1400m … and the field was now on a good racing surface as opposed to the testing heavy going of the Show County.

There was plenty of respect for Yellow Brick in the betting market with the son of The Mission starting on the third line of betting at $4.60 … behind Royal Patronage ($3.40, the only horse carrying more weight than Yellow Brick) and With Your Blessing ($4.20), who had beaten Yellow Brick home by 1.85 lengths in the Show County.

In the Show County, With Your Blessing had a full 6kg advantage at the weights with Yellow Brick. In the Bill Richie, With Your Blessing carried 4kg less than Yellow Brick, meaning that previous advantage had been shaved by 2kg.

On the day though, that meant little to With Your Blessing, who was caught in a hugely positive galloping mood, to the degree that the John Thompson trained gelding prevailed to take out the honours by 0.37 lengths from the faster finishing Bosustow ($9).

Andrew Mallyon gave Yellow Brick the run of the race from barrier four, settling on the inside in fourth, then third place, seeming perfectly poised to strike as the field came to the home turn.

The inside run had its downside though with Yellow Brick cramped for clear galloping room in the first half of the straight, and although he stayed on bravely enough, as he always does, he couldn’t find the extra gear required to get to With Yor Blessing, the free-running leader … or find the acceleration required to see off several of the faster finishers running on from behind.

In the end, Yellow Brick remained game to the line … but his effort would only bring seventh place, a touch under 3.00 lengths behind the winner.

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