Abbey Marie included in Summoned Stakes nominations

Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent will decide in the next twenty-four hours if his undefeated mare Abbey Marie takes her place in the Group 3 $150,000 Summoned Stakes (1500m) at Sandown on Saturday.

Unbeaten mare Abbey Marie, above, is nominated for the Summoned Stakes at Sandown. Photo by Jenny Barnes.

Unbeaten mare Abbey Marie, above, is nominated for the Summoned Stakes at Sandown. Photo by Jenny Barnes.

Abbey Marie is one of twenty-two mares nominated for the Summoned Stakes and will be having her first run since winning the Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes Oaks (registered as Australasian Oaks) (2000m) at Morphettville in May.

The Redoute’s Choice four year old is a winner of her only three race starts with wins in a 1300m Sandown Maiden on March 23 and in a 1440m three year old fillies BenchMark 70 Handicap at Caulfield on April 23 before winning the Schweppes Oaks.

But Abbey Marie has been off the scene since and missed the majority of the Spring Carnival while recovering from laminitis.

Kent said that Abbey Marie had spent a month in hospital recovering but she is now ready to return to the racetrack and he was more than happy with the way she stretched out at Sandown this morning.

“Her fitness is not an issue. Looking this morning I was quite happy with what I saw. She is probably not far away,” Kent told RSN’s Racing Ahead.

“He had quite a serious infection, she was in hospital for a month. She got laminitis, had ulcers on her feet going on for eight weeks and we were very lucky with her really to come out the other end unscathed.”

“We have had to manage her feet very well, she is very good at the moment. She has come through all that very well.”

“We have a horse still which is very important and I think the Autumn holds a lot more for her anyway.”

“Even though it is disappointing that we didn’t get anywhere in the Spring, we are fortunate enough to have a horse, she is fit and sound and healthy and look forward to next Autumn with her.”

Kent was delighted to be able to give Abbey Marie a solid hit out at Sandown after recent wet weather had interrupted her training at Cranbourne.

“We’ve been inundated with wet weather at Cranbourne,” Kent said.

“She’s missed two jumpouts and got further behind.

“She’s earmarked to run here Saturday. It was good to get her away from Cranbourne, and she’s had a good stimulus.”

Kent is hopeful of a good Autumn campaign and said if Abbey Marie does take her place in the Summoned Stakes on Saturday she would then have a short break before commencing her Autumn preparation at the beginning of December.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have two mares entered in the Summoned Stakes, Sweet Redemption and Kimberley Star.

Sweet Redemption is stepping up in class after winning a 1600m BenchMark 72 Handicap at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day  while Kimberley Star has been unplaced at two Spring Carnival starts, her latest an eleventh to Artistry in the Group 3 $200,000 The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m) at Flemington November 1.

The in-form Lindsay Park stable also has two mares nominated for the Summoned Stakes, last start Cranbourne winner Mossbeat and Metaphorical who ran second to Sort After in the 1700m Mares Trophy at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.