He Hushed the Opposition

A real find in the intermediate staying ranks with four wins last season, Hushed (6 g Don Eduardo - Danewhisper, by Danehill) took out the last thoroughbred race of the year with a great fresh-up effort in the Rating 85 1480 metres on 31 December at Stratford.

Beautifully ridden by Te Akau apprentice Jasmine Fawcett aboard, when the pairing went very well in a recent trial over 1200 metres at Te Aroha, her four-kilo weight claim to carry 54.5kgs was a godsend along with a sweet trip from barrier one.

After the local galloper Catwomandu (Tale of the Cat) had experienced a relatively easy time in front, Fawcett tracked clear of the trailing position at the 200m and Hushed quickened stylishly under a hand ride to score going away by a neck at the line.

“I was so delighted of the way that Jasmine (Fawcett) rode him,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“She's a terrific young lady, nothing is ever a problem, she's got a great work ethic and she's going to be a good jockey in years to come.”

In the Strathmore Sprint by McDonald Real Estate, Hushed ran the 1480 metres in 1:30.9 and after shortening in to second favourite on the tote he paid $4.50 & $2.80, with the seven horse field bearing two place dividends only, and $4.80 fixed.

Owned and bred by Dr. Ron Boet and Anne Hadfield, and raced by them with The Carers' Syndicate, Hushed was presented in ideal condition to resume over a shorter distance by trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards, given he had not previously won below 1950 metres, and having noticeably matured and developed since last racing in June, it appears reasonable to consider him up to mixing it in Open staying fields.

“I was really pleased to see Hushed win again and it was a terrific job by Steve & Jamie to have this horse ready to win first up,” said Ellis, who had purchased four-time winning half-brother Secret Whisper (Align), from the draft of Phoenix Park, for $40,000 at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale.

“He is owned by some terrific friends of mine from Christchurch: Dr Ron Boet, a neurological surgeon, who was previously a surgeon for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Anne Hadfield,” Ellis said.

“Ron is a great breeder and big supporter of our stable and he and Anne sent this horse up to us as a three-year-old after they looked at the record of Te Akau in Canterbury racing and saw that we had won nine Group One races in the last eleven years at Riccarton, and decided that is where they wanted their horses trained.

“And I really think this is a horse that could win a New Zealand Cup (at Riccarton).

“So, I'm thrilled for the team that owns the horse and also thrilled for the staff that have been working so hard and doing such an amazing job - and that's our sixth win the past four days.”

The stable also produced his three-year-old half-brother Alamosa Express (Alamosa), owned by Dr Boet, for a debut win on 30 November over 1200 metres at Pukekohe, and Hushed signing off the year with a victory gave connections reason for a celebratory conclusion to a busy year.

“It was a really good win,” Richards said.

“We had planned to go next Saturday to the 85 mile at Awapuni but with the meeting transferred to Trentham this race looked like a better fit.

“We planned to go forward a bit, with four-kilos off, and Jasmine rode him really well, ending up in the trail, and he stuck to the task over a distance well short of his best.  His work at home had been good, the owners have been very patient, and after coming home from the South Island, spelling well at Te Akau, he has really strengthened up and looks as though he has gone to another level.

“He holds some nominations for some of the bigger cups later on and hopefully we can pick a path to end up in those sorts of races.

“I would particularly like to thank Ron Boet and Anne Hadfield for their patience with the horse, they've allowed us to pick and choose where we've taken him and what we have wanted to do with him and when you're allowed to do that with horses it makes it a lot easier.”

Two wins on the eight race card, after debutante Don'tblamethemusic (Coats Choice) earlier in the day, edged the Te Akau training partnership into clear second place in the Trainers' Premiership, ending the year with 37 wins, and with some nice horses to step out through summer and into the autumn the current eleven win deficit on the leading trainer could well be diminished if everything goes to plan.

Autridge & Richards won the 2015/16 season premiership with 104 wins.

Hushed was strapped by Melissa Ford.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz