Trent Edmonds had limited bullets to fire at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale so he knew he had to make every purchase count.
A Group 1 winner in partnership with his father Toby, the young horseman had just moved to Victoria and opened a solo stable several months earlier.
He essentially had to start from scratch with new horses and, hopefully, new owners willing to support him.
A Deep Field filly caught his eye, although he was concerned that her hefty weanling pricetag would see her fall well outside his budget.
But one bid was all it took to buy the filly who, on Saturday, will chase a G1 win in The Goodwood at Morphettville.
Extragalactic is rated $7 with Bet365.
“I was on a shoe string budget so $160,000 was a stretch for me,” Edmonds said.
“I looked at her numerous times and she fit our criteria – she was neat and athletic.
“She wasn’t overly big and she was a little bit bum high so maybe that put people off.
“When I found out she was a $220,000 weanling, I thought I was no hope of buying her because she’ll probably make $250,000 or $300,000.
“I was sitting at a table with a mate when she went through and the bidding was going really slowly and when she was at about $90,000 I thought I would have a crack.
“I think I only put one bid in and got her.”
Extragalactic has long shown Edmonds above average ability.
The filly was beaten in an Echuca maiden on debut in September before atoning in a 1000m maiden at Bairnsdale at her second start.
It might have appeared ambitious placement to tackle the Listed Crockett Stakes at The Valley at her third start but Edmonds knew what he had.
Either as co-trainer or assistant trainer to his dad on the Gold Coast, Edmonds was front and centre when horses the ilk of Houtzen, Winter Bride and From Within called the stable home.
In fact, Extragalactic reminded the young trainer of Winter Bride, who captured multiple Stakes races and ran second in a G1during a brilliant 18-month period in 2019 and 2020.
“I’ve been around long enough and had enough success previous with dad trying to build fillies’ pedigrees to know when I’ve got one that is OK,” he said.
“I always thought that once she grew up a bit, she’d have a good level of ability.
“I didn’t need tickets for Cox Plate Day, I ran her in the Crocket Stakes because I thought she could run well in the race.
“I thought she had Stakes ability but she was probably a bit raw in the spring.”
It was Extragalactic slashing second in the G2 Tobin Bronze Stakes last month that secured her ballot exemption for The Goodwood, while the lure of tackling the older horses with a feather weight 50kg on her back convinced Edmonds to throw her in the deep end on Saturday.
Star Victorian apprentice Luke Cartwright will ride the filly.
“She was a tragedy beaten (in the Tobin Bronze) to be honest, it made me sick a little, but it was a really great run,” he said.
“I suppose the silver lining is that she didn’t get any more weight for the Goodwood.
“She hasn’t missed a beat since.
“She hasn’t left a skerig of food since the un, she’s pretty bombproof in that regard which makes things easier to tell if she’s off.”
A second G1 win and first as a solo trainer has the potential to announce Edmonds’ as a major player in Victoria’s uber competitive training ranks.
While he’s enjoyed the change of pace that has seen him transition from running a stable with upwards of 100 horses in work to a boutique operation at Pakenham with no more than a dozen horses, he admits that it would be nice to grow his stable.
“It’ll be huge if she’s able to get a result for me on Saturday,” he said.
“It would feel like a ‘stepping out of the shadows’ moment because when you’re in a training partnership with a senior partner, like I was with dad, it’s always viewed as their stable.
“For me, I got to the stage where I really wanted to make something of myself and that was one of the reasons for making the move and having a dip in Victoria.
“I think I’ve got a dozen horses on the books and the majority of them are young stock.
“I’d like to quadruple that number if things can work out well.
“It’s been difficult but there’s no point complaining about it.
“To be honest, it’s different to what I’m used to but I’m enjoying it.
“It’s allowed me to be one on one and really authentic with the horses.”
