Abidwithme ready for New Zealand return
Abidewithme has returned from Victoria and will run in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Te Aroha on Saturday.
Abidewithme finished third behind Diademe in the race last year, then ran a close sixth in the Easter Handicap and won the Travis Stakes before she crossed the Tasman.
She was a first-up winner from Peter Moody’s Caulfield stable and while unplaced in her next three starts she didn’t finish further than five lengths from the winner in consecutive Group I appearances.
‘‘She arrived back in New Zea- land last Thursday so she hasn’t missed any work,’’ co-trainer Stephen Autridge said.
She had two runs back over there so she’s a fit and happy horse and she’ll be heading toward the Travis Stakes over 2000 metres again.’’
The winner of seven races for former Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman, Abidewithme is raced by her breeders Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan and she already has a date with their star Cambridge Stud resident.
‘‘She’ll go to Tavistock in the spring and then race on in foal at Christmas time if her form warrants it,’’ Autridge said.
Daniel Champion and Kezia Murphy have struck gold with a former North Islander who will attempt to complete a hat-trick of wins at today’s South Canterbury meeting.
The Ashburton trainers produced He’s Gold to score on his home track two runs back and the five-year-old was then successful at Wingatui.
‘‘He’s a pretty handy sort and a big horse,’’ Champion said. ‘‘He likes the good tracks so this might be his last run before we put him aside and he’ll be better next season.’’
A two-time winner for Taranaki trainer and breeder John Wheeler before transferring south, He’s Gold has been ridden in his last
two starts by Racha Cuneen.
Peter Hollinshead had a tough day when he had to bid farewell to his old mate Na Botto.
The 31-year-old passed away last Friday on the Hollinshead property at Te Awamutu with his ‘‘master’’ at his side.
‘‘He fought right to the end,’’ Hollinshead said. ‘‘He looked as though he was going then he’d kick back again. He just wouldn’t give in.’’
Trained by Hollinshead (then in partnership with Richard Otto), Na Botto contested two Melbourne Cups and finished third to Empire
Rose in the 1988 feature.
The inclement Sydney weather hasn’t put a dampener on Stephen Marsh’s dream of a Group One win at Randwick on Saturday. The Cambridge trainer can’t fault the condition of his Australian Oaks contender Sofia Rosa, whose chances won’t be compromised by the rain-affected going.
‘‘There’s been a fair bit of rain here so it’s going to be an off track and she won’t mind that at all,’’ Marsh said.
Murray Baker admits to only average levels of confidence with Mongolian Khan heading into the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
That’s easy to understand, given that the horse, one of the stars of the Melbourne string, has not found his form in Sydney in the autumn.
There is the prospect of a wet track, there’s the A$4 million stake, and the horse can be forgiven his BMW run given he was wide throughout. There was talk that Mongolian Khan’s racing career might be over after the BMW run but a full vet exam found nothing wrong with him and his trackwork since has been fine.