 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2013
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2013 NEVELE R FILLIES SERIES FINAL
Adore Me moved into Horse of the Year contention with another crushing display in Saturday's $150,000 Nevele R Fillies Series Final No.35 at Addington.
With this weeks New Zealand Oaks and a Jewels Diamond seemingly at her mercy, Adore Me can finish the season unbeaten in 11 races against her own sex and only beaten by Ohoka Punter in the Great Northern Derby, a performance which only earned her further admirers given very few fillies have even taken on the colts in modern times.
Two further Gr1 successes in coming weeks would give Adore Me a total of five and stakes in her first campaign of almost $500,000. She has also claimed a New Zealand mile record for a filly of 1:52.4.
Off colour after the Derby and freshened, Adore Me has returned to racing again looking invincible. Despite drawing an outside gate in the Fillies Final, Mark Purdon was able to treat his opposition with contempt. Eased away into midfield as Kabet took them through a fast lead time, Purdon was on the move with a lap to run but Delightful Christian and Maurice McKendry had designs on getting to the front first. This had Adore Me working three wide in the open for a good way, but she was always travelling too well and had put Delightful Christian away with 700m to run.
With a last quarter in 27.6, Adore Me was always clear in the run home and she crossed the line with over three lengths to spare from stablemate Whisper Jet, who poked between runners after a good trip from Tony Herlihy. There was no loitering along the way and Adore Me's 2:20.6 was a mile rate of 1:56 and not far off Carabella's race and national record.
Purdon has won this race with O Baby and Secret Potion, and there has been other top fillies through the stable such as Twist And Twirl, Lancome, Meredith Maguire, Imagine Me and Imagine That to name just a few in recent times, but Adore Me is clearly in a class of her own. The extra distance of this week's Oaks will only suit Adore Me more than any of her rivals and then it will just come down to a fitting season finale at Ashburton.
Raced by her breeder Charlie Roberts along with his daughter Mary and son-in-law Paul Kenny, who are also racing half-sister Abide With Me on lease with Stephen Reid, Adore Me has also taken the record of her dam Scuse Me to another level when that BG's Bunny mare had seemingly done quite enough. Adore Me is her 10th foal and 10th winner, with eight in 2:00 having also included Imagine Me. Adore Me is Scuse Me's first foal by Bettors Delight however and she has since produced three more, including another filly this season.
Whatever the outcome of the Horse of the Year poll, where Adore Me will vie with Terror To Love, Stig and a late charge from Christen Me, the Broodmare of the Year is also looking a one-horse race for Scuse Me. She also happens to be the grandam of G1 winners Hands Christian and Christen Me and the third dam of good filly Splendour and juvenile Maxim, who both competed in Saturday's features as well.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 15May2013