 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1989
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Adina Bebe (John Hay) parades after the Oaks win. |
As far as the Nevele R Stud was concerned the scriptwriters couldn't have done it better. Locked in a desperate struggle at the end of the Nevele R-sponsored New Zealand Oaks were Adina Bebe and Looks The Part, both first crop daughters of the stud sire, Nero's B B.
But had Looks The Part closed the gap on first and second by a nose and a short neck the result would have been rewarding for one of the stud's key figures. Looks The Part is race by Wayne Francis, the principal with Bob McArdle in the Nevele R Stud. Being the breeder of the horse, he would have gained a $100,000 bonus payment; as it was the bonus went to Lloyd Ashby and his brother-in-law Brian O'Meara.
Adina Bebe was superbly driven in a marvellous race run in record time by John Hay. She was in the last handful approaching the 1000 metres but made good headway in the line following Happy Hazel; this included Joy's Girl and Adrenalin. Near the 500 metres, Adrenalin started to give way, drifted in, and Hay found Adina Bebe still well in the chase. Passing Joy's Girl, Adina Bebe soon had Happy Hazel in her sights. Happy Hazel, so gallant, had been in every attack, but was she ready for this? Before the post and after the post, Happy Hazel was in front; on the line, the nose belonged to Adina Bebe. Right alongside and only a short neck beck was Looks The Part, the veteran of only two starts who tracked Adina Bebe into the last 400 metres.
Lloyd Ashby, who races the filly in partnership with his wife Patricia, is a former All Black fullback. He bred Adina Bebe after her dam Gaelic Nurse (by Smooth Hanover from Nurse Lea, by Van Hanover) was advertised in the "Trotting Calendar" for $1300. "Brian picked her out for me. She apparently only had one start, but also finished second in a trial to Trusty Scott," said Lloyd. Bought off Robert Crooks, Gaelic Nurse went to Sholty Imp - leaving Sir Anlon, who Hay trained to win a race - then left Adina Bebe to Nero's B B. "It was a calculated gamble going to such an unproven sire," he said.
For a start, Adina Bebe was placed in a professional stable, but she became a problem horse and didn't make the progress Lloyd hoped she would. "It was one of those things. She's just a horse who needs a bit of time spent on her, and sometimes it's hard to give them that," he said. After making a winning debut and qualifying for the DB Fillies Final with a 1:58.4 placing at Ashburton, Adina Bebe went through patchy form. "You may think it's a bit odd me saying this, but I still think she is a race short. She had a little setback and a wee spell, but the funny thing was that nothing showed up in her blood," he said. Lloyd paid tribute to Brian O'Meara for the knowledge and advice as he fine-tuned Adina Bebe in the few weeks leading up to the Oaks.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HR Weekly