Indulge Me upsets in Sires’ Stakes heat at Addington

[Wandering Eyes]

By Michael Guerin

The southern invasion at Addington is about to get longer and stronger.

And that could see trainer Nathan Williamson with at least three major race chances during Cup week as he continued his profitable spring at headquarters on Friday night.

A week after two-year-old trotter Duchess Maria won the inaugural Sundon Trot at Addington last Friday her Williamson stablemate Indulge Me came from the worst possible draw to blast past some talented juvenile pacing fillies in the Dunstan Feeds Sires’ Stakes heat.

It was only her second start and suggests she is a very smart filly in the making and, like Duchess Maria, a product of John and Katrina Price’s mission to breed world class standardbreds in Southland.

That meant buying Indulge Me for a decent sum when she was only a weanling, an investment that already set to pay huge dividends. 

Indulge Me is a Downbytheseaside daughter of Sweet On Me, the daughter of Adore Me who was the champion juvenile of her year and too good for subsequent Auckland Cup winner Amazing Dream.

Sweet On Me sadly died without producing another live foal and Indulge Me is her only filly so the Prices have one of the most valuable breeding fillies in the country not to mention a highly-promising racehorse.

“They [the Prices] deserve all the success they are having as they have invested heavily in good stock,” says Williamson.

“I am lucky to have owners like them and plenty of others so I can get my hands on fillies like this to train.

“She was good on debut down home in April and she has improved a lot since.

“She will now head back down for a race down there as she isn’t eligible for the Harness Million here next week then come back up for the Sires’ Stakes Final on Show Day.”

Duchess Maria, who has a race at Addington on October 24, also has her IRT Sires’ Stakes Final on Addington on Show Day while arguably the Williamson stable star Captain’s Mistress is ready to trial in a week and will head to the last Nevele R heat at Ashburton on October 27.

So those three alone could give Williamson winning chances in three of the major age group races of Cup week and the strength of his team will see him head to Canterbury for a full-on assault.

“I will be taking 8-10 up there around mid October and I’d say staying up there for 5 weeks,” he told HRNZ.

“It is exciting to be heading to Cup week any time but with horses who will be among the favourites in the major races I can’t wait.

“This is what we do it for and I have to thank the owners for the support to be able to try it.”

Williamson isn’t the only one with some smart fillies in his barn as Hayden and Amanda Cullen produced General Jen to bolt away with the Nevele R Fillies heat on Friday while stablemate Arafura stormed into third, suggesting they will both be players in the Final on Cup Day.

And yet another high-class filly on display on Friday was Habibti Pat, who overcame a tough trip against the older horses for a huge trotting win and she will head to The Ascent on Show Day.

On the male front two of the stars of the first half of the juvenile pacing season Fugitive and Allamericanplayer quinellaed their Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes heat, the race won at the start when Carter Dalgety won the race for the lead.

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