BROTHERS IN ARMS TACKLE ALBURY QUALIFIER

By Graham Potter | Friday, February 16, 2024

Every horse has its own story, but here is a story with a difference.

The second qualifying race in the 2024 Newhaven Park Country Championships is scheduled to take place at Albury on Sunday and it comes with an usual twist in the makeup of the sixteen-strong lineup as two full brothers, the five-year-old Bianco Vilano and the year older Baledon ... both sired by Foxwedge out of Cap Bianco ... are confirmed runners for their home track Country Championships qualifier showdown.

Nobody is better placed to tell the back story of these two brothers than trainer Ron Stubbs who has both horses in his care.

Stubbs presented a heartwarming story of the Bianco Vilano and Baledon relationship when interviewed of Sky Racing.

“Characteristic-wise ... personality-wise ... they are very similar,” Stubbs told Sky.

“Physically ... Baledon is quite a small horse. He is a first foal ... and, gee, he’d barely be fifteen hands, whereas Bianco Vilano is a big, striking sixteen point two, three hand horse.

“They both have a very playful nature. You see them walking home from the track in the morning and there are quite a few pig-roots and leaping ... and you know when they are on song when they are in the air.

“There is one story where Baledon was out spelling at an agistment farm we go to, and we were taking Bianco Vilano up there. We dropped him off. Baledon was in a paddock with another two horses ... so there were three in the paddock together.

“Then we introduced Bianco Vilano into the paddock and the two brothers just paired off straight away and just went their own way, side by side ... whereas the other two horses just went in a different direction.

“We’ve also taken Bianco Vilano to Sydney quite a few times and two or three times we’ve taken Baledon with him, just as a travelling companion.

“You just feel there is a connection. We’ll never know what the connection is, but I am certain there is something.”

On Sunday, those off-track details will give way to the business end of proceedings when Bianco Vilano and Baledon enter the parade ring at Albury.

Shortly after that Bianco Vilano, with Craig Williams aboard, will lead the field out onto the track for the Southern Districts Newhaven Park Country Championships qualifier.

Bianco Vilano, who won the Albury qualifying race last year and went on to finish fourth in the Country Championship Final, is currently the ruling favourite at $4.60. Baledon is a $14 chance.