Abidewithme on Title Defence

The Informant reports:

A year on from the biggest win of Abidewithme's career to date, recent weeks have followed a similar script as the high-class mare prepares to defend her title in tomorrow's (Saturday) Gr. 2 Travis Stakes at Te Rapa.

The six-year-old daughter of Redoute's Choice has had an almost identical build-up. Last year she ran third in the Gr. 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes, 1.8 lengths behind Diademe, then finished 2.9 lengths from Pondarosa Miss when sixth in the Gr. 1 Easter Handicap. She backed up a week later and won the Travis with a brilliant finishing burst.

This year Abidewithme ran second in the New Zealand Breeders' Stakes, beaten by a neck by Perfect Fit. Last Saturday she ran ninth in the Easter but finished only 2.4 lengths from the winner Sound Proposition, a margin that was dwindling with each stride.

“It was a bit short for her, but her last 200 metres would probably have been as good as any in the race."

“It was a very big run in the Easter,” co-trainer Stephen Autridge told The Informant. “It was a bit short for her, but her last 200 metres would probably have been as good as any in the race.

“We thought that she might be already looking for 2000 metres, so we were very happy with the way she finished it off.”

Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud's Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan, Abidewithme is set to visit the stud's stallion sensation Tavistock in the spring before signing off her racing career in late December - ideally in the Gr. 1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie.

Any further black type the mare can pick up between now and then will be enormously valuable, and Autridge believes she is well placed to deliver another big performance in tomorrow's $100,000 feature.

“She's come through the run last Saturday really well,” he said. “We've got no worries with her at all.

“It's a pity it's only a week back-up, that's not ideal. But she did it last year and won this race, so we're not too concerned about it. The extra distance will be ideal for her and she should run a good race.”

Abidewithme isn't the only runner carrying the distinctive green colours of Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan in tomorrow's race. Talented four-year-old Aotearower is also entered and is first on the ballot. The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained mare has had six starts at Te Rapa for a win and five placings.

The hardest to beat might be Rasa Lila, who has raced almost exclusively in black-type company this season and recorded three wins and three placings from nine starts.

The Darci Brahma mare's wins include a dominant win in the Gr. 3 Cuddle Stakes at Trentham last month, while she produced a big late finish to get within half a length of the winner when third in the Easter last Saturday.

“She ran a great race last Saturday,” co-trainer Julia Ritchie said. “We were really, really rapt with her.

“Maybe, with a better draw and a bit more luck down the straight, she might even have been able to pull it off. But we were thrilled with her performance and the way she found the line.”

After being seen as a staying prospect earlier in her career, Rasa Lila's performances this season have suggested she is more at home over 1600 metres. The step up to 2000 metres tomorrow, and backing up just seven days after a huge performance at Group One level, are Ritchie's two concerns.

“Those are the big question marks,” she conceded. “We can't be 100 per cent sure about either of them.

“She's never backed up after only a week before, so there's always a query over that before horses prove they can do it. As for the 2000 metres, we hope it should be okay but she may need to be ridden quietly if she's going to still have that big finish.

“There's just no way to know until we try. But she's come through the Easter really well. She's bright and happy, she's eating well.

“She actually didn't blow much after the race at all, which was amazing. She pulled up terrifically well.”

Girl Of My Dreams was a disappointing eighth in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes last start, but her form prior to that was excellent and she is likely to be suited by the return to 2000 metres. She was a close second to Volkstok'n'barrell in the Gr. 1 New Zealand Stakes over this distance early last month.

Celebrity Miss is a two-time winner at Te Rapa and has been Group One placed over a similar distance to this, chasing home her stablemate Addictive Habit in the 2040-metre Livamol Classic last October.

Emily Monk strung together three impressive wins in succession before finishing fourth in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes last month, 1.7 lengths behind Perfect Fit. The O'Reilly mare is the winner of six of her 12 starts. This is her first attempt beyond 1600 metres.

Thee Auld Floozie is a multiple stakes performer over a middle-distance, winning last year's Gr. 3 Sunline Vase over 2100 metres and finishing second in two 2000-metre black-type races this season - the Listed Kaimai Stakes and Gr. 3 Manawatu Breeders' Stakes.

Mary Quant, a daughter of the Oaks and Kelt Capital Stakes (Livamol Classic) winner Legs, has won five races including four of her eight starts this season. She was a disappointing 13th in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes but had a wide run after breaking from gate nine.

Nigelissima has been in good form since returning from an injury lay-off, resuming with a third in the Gr. 2 Japan-NZ International Trophy over 1600 metres of Tauranga before finishing fourth in the Manawatu Breeders' Stakes.

Ruakaka mare Candle In The Wind was fourth in the Japan-NZ International Trophy and an eye-catching seventh in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes. A previous winner of the 2200-metre Karaka Stayers' Cup, the daughter of Darci Brahma is likely to be suited by the step up in distance.

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