Another Group 2 for Te Akau & Our Abbadean

The combination of horse, rider, and trainers, all in scintillating form, resulted in Our Abbadean (5 m Lookin At Lucky - Highland Lights, by Fantastic Light) winning the $100,000 Travis Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m) during the Cambridge Jockey Club meeting on Saturday at Te Rapa.

In rare form, Our Abbadean did a magnificent job for the Hawkins family to win the Awapuni Gold Cup (Gr. 2, 2000m) on 31 March at Awapuni, following with a close second in the Hawkes Bay Cup (Listed, 2200m) a fortnight ago at Hastings, while trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards had won with eight of their last 11 runners, and Shafiq won and placed eight times each from 21 rides for the stable - all quite remarkable.

“It's a massive win, a very good filly, and we're over the moon,” said Dean Hawkins, from Wellington, on his way to represent the family in a race that Wentwood Grange sponsor on Sunday at Blenheim.

“We're fortunate enough to have a dual Group Two winning filly, they don't come along that often and very, very happy. She's in freakish order and Steve, Jamie, and Kerry (Jones) and all the Te Akau staff are to thank, and it was a great ride by Shafiq because he had her exactly where he needed to be.”

Three back on the outer, chasing a solid pace, Our Abbadean stood the leader six lengths at the 600m, ranged into contention four wide on straightening and sustained a big finish to win with plenty of authority.

In showery conditions, on footing downgraded a race beforehand to Dead6, Our Abbadean ran the 2000 metres in 2:02.4, last 600m in 35.9, and her best return was $5.50 & $1.90 fixed odds on the NZ TAB.

“We've been nursing her mum, Highland Lights, for the last six weeks and the Cambridge Vet Hospital have been working around the clock trying to save her,” Hawkins said. “Everything is looking pretty positive and we're lucky to have such a good vet clinic there. She got an infection in her elbow joint, really random, and they operated to try and keep it at bay. The surgeons have done a great job and we're thinking they might have saved her, after the initial prognosis was not very bright.

“We've had a lot of success with Te Akau through the years. It's nice to have a good quality staying filly for them, and us. We know they've been having a fantastic run with their two-year-olds, but, really, they can do anything. Dave (Ellis) has bought a lot of horses out of drafts at the sales and done very well with them too, which is always a good position to be in.

“It was also quite special because we bought a table and took all our staff to the races today, in a way of saying ‘thanks' for all their hard work and I'm sure the celebrations will continue on.”

Our Abbadean has now won seven of her 24 starts, placing fourth or better on 16 occasions, and earned prize money of $220,000. But, most importantly she has firmly established her commercial value for a future breeding career at Wentwood Grange.

“I'm absolutely delighted for the Hawkins' family because they put so much into the game and they're getting a real kick out of how well this mare is going,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“We won the race three years ago with Abidewithme for Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan, so it's great to do the job again for breeders, and the boys: Steve, Jamie, and Shafiq are on fire. The team is going unbelievably well, leading the way in stakes' wins (17) for the season, and 12 hours earlier we won a $500,000 Group 2 race in Singapore too with a Darci Brahma horse, Distinctive Darci, that I bought for $100,000 at Karaka.  He's now won nine races and over $850,000 for Mark (Walker) and the owners.

“Steve and Jamie are doing such a good job with the horses, but they need help from the staff and we're so lucky to have an incredible team, that I believe goes the extra mile for our owners and who are also getting amazing satisfaction from the success.

“Suppy (Shafiq), well, if people weren't taking notes on how well he's been riding then they certainly will be now. He started his apprentice with us at Matamata, with Mark (Walker), went with him when we set up Te Akau Racing in Singapore, was twice Champion apprentice in Singapore, and it's great to have him and his family back in Matamata.”

Jamie Richards said: “He's an underrated rider that came down from Singapore with a big rap from Mark, and when you're riding against international riders the calibre of Michael Rodd, Joao Moreira, Glen Boss, Vlad Duric, and those sorts of boys, to be competitive against them speaks volumes about the quality of the bloke. He's a hard worker, he's at track work every morning at 4.30 a.m. and Dave (Ellis) loves supporting the boys that ride work.”

“It's good to ride a winner in Group races,” Shafiq said. “I can't do it without the support I'm getting from Te Akau, and it's all about support. Without support you can't do anything and Te Akau has supported from day one when I first met them.

“She (Our Abbadean) is a real staying horse. She always keeps improving and every time I ride her she shows some improvement.”

Ellis also said he had been flat out with enquiries about five fillies he bought at the Inglis Easter Sale in Sydney, and a colt and filly from the New Zealand Bloodstock South Island Sale.

“I bought more horses to fill orders going into the winter, but the response to posting the horses on our website and through social media has been fantastic and the shares are selling fast,” he said.

Our Abbadean was strapped by Kerry Jones.
Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz