SPORT Abbey Marie wins again

IN Bruce McAvaney-speak, there was something very special about yesterday’s Schweppes Oaks win of Victorian galloper Abbey Marie.

It was just the third start for the filly and she’d followed a most unconventional path to the 2000m test of the Group 1 at Morphettville, winning over 1300m on debut at Sandown in late March, then repeating the dose a month later over 1440m at Caulfield.

But her Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent had huge faith in Abbey Marie’s quality — and pedigree — to deliver at the highest level.

And the three-year-old certainly delivered in spades, producing a powerhouse finish on the back of a gun ride by outstanding jockey Luke Nolen, best known for his association with champion Black Caviar.

Abbey Marie, a drifting $7 second favourite, settled midfield, tracking favourite Silent Sedition ($4).

She moved into contention from the top of the straight and when Nolen worked her between runners and into the clear, she stamped her class, producing a powerful finishing burst to win by a long neck.

Silent Sedition was typically game, rallying hard towards the inside to hold down second, three-quarters of a length in front of local hope C’est Beau La Vie ($12), who looked the winner halfway down the straight and tried her heart out in the dash to the line.

Kent downplayed his part in the victory, though most would suggest it was an outstanding training performance.

He instead heaped praise on the ride of Nolen and the natural talent of Abbey Marie.

“It’s all about the horses. You can’t do it without the cattle,” Kent said. “She’s just a beautiful, relaxed filly. She walked around the mounting yard here like an old-timer. That’s probably been a big part of it.

“She’s actually had a fair bit of background work so I wasn’t worried about the distance or anything. It was just whether she was race-savvy enough to do it.

“I believe genetically they’re set to run a distance. It wasn’t about me working her harder or anything like that. That wasn’t going to make a difference.

“We had this race in mind from day one. When she won at Caulfield it was a no-brainer for me. We thought we’d give it a go. Why wouldn’t you?”