Go The Girls

The New Zealand Racing Desk reports today on Te Akau trained Abidewithme and Thy - two of our female stable stars!

Abidewithme is unbeaten in three appearances this season and trainer Jason Bridgman can see no reason why she can't continue her winning run in the Gr.3 Westbury Classic at Ellerslie.

The well-bred Redoute's Choice mare won a pair of Rating 85 events before considerably adding to her value for Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan with her January defeat of Arietta in the Listed Anniversary Handicap at Trentham.

“She lightened up a bit with the trip and the race so we gave her 10 days in the paddock after Wellington and she's come back really well,” Bridgman said.

“I would expect another very good performance from her in a fresh state.”

A daughter of the Group Two-winning Zabeel mare Crimson, Abidewithme's main autumn target will be the Gr.1 Manco Easter Handicap on April 12.

Thy will make her New Zealand debut in the Westbury Classic and the stable also has a Group One ambition for the Waikato Stud-owned mare.

“She's higher in the ratings so we'll be looking at the Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes at Te Aroha for her,” Bridgman said.

“She's a lovely, laid-back mare with favourable credentials as a three and four-year-old and her last run in the Myer Stakes was very solid. “That sort of form should see her competitive against the fillies and mares here.”

Two of Thy's Australian wins from Peter Moody's stable were in Listed company and she also finished third in the Gr.1 ATC Oaks.

“My gut feeling is that she will improve, but she has gone very well fresh and won first-up over 1200 metres at Caulfield earlier this year,” Bridgman said.