Racing: Strong chance in showpiece race

Our Abbadean is ready to peak in today's group one Livamol Classic (2040m). Photo / Trish Dunell

When Des and Janet Hawkins passed the baton of running Cambridge nursery Wentwood Grange on to their sons, the hard work was meant to have been done.

The couple had long since given up their dairy farm in Wales, moved the family to Cambridge, learned the ropes of running a studfarm and had established and developed Wentwood Grange into an internationally respected brand.

Their sons Dean, Sean and Leigh embraced the opportunity to run the family farms, naturally drawn to their individual management positions, and have continued to enhance their farm's good name.

Passing the baton was supposed to be a neat fit for Des and Janet. They could let the boys do all the work but they could still enjoy the racing team and revel in the limelight of any of the farm's success.

"That was the idea, the intention. But I still get my instructions in the morning and I've still got plenty to do," Des Hawkins revealed this week.

So the parents are still chipping in with the workload. But at least they get to enjoy the spotlight on raceday, right?

Well, not this weekend anyway.

Our Abbadean will wear the family's Llanhennock Trust colours of the bronze Prince of Wales feathers on black silks in today's group one Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings, the Lookin At Lucky six-year-old mare a leading chance after her fast-finishing third placing in the group one Tarzino Trophy (1400m) and luckless fifth in the group one Windsor Park Plate (1600m), both at Hastings in recent weeks. But Des and Janet won't be there.

"It's the boys' turn. We won't be there this weekend. We'll be at home looking after the farm," Des lamented yesterday. "It's Dean's 35th birthday on Saturday so the boys are getting away for a couple of days."

It might be just as well — because along with the thrill of having a leading chance in a showpiece race, there's an element of trepidation when it's such a valuable mare in contention.

"She gives us a lot of fun but it's the same old story when you've got such an important mare — you get the heart palpitations that go with it, hoping they come through it fit and well as breeders because for us that's what we do. We just don't want anything to go wrong with her because her future is as a broodmare."

The Hawkins family has enjoyed remarkable international success in that role.

They bred Little Bridge, the first New Zealand-bred winner of a group one race at Royal Ascot, as well as group one winners the quality of Kermadec, Signify, Miss Raggedy Ann and Valley Girl.

Our Abbadean will today attempt to join the latter pair as group one winners in the family ownership.

"She was always an attractive filly but the stallion Lookin At Lucky was always going to be an issue in trying to sell her, especially as a filly," Des said.

"Her and Valley Girl were both in the same draft at the sales and we didn't sell either.

"That was pretty lucky the way it's worked out."

The Jamie Richards-trained Our Abbadean goes into the Livamol Classic as a group two winner of both the Awapuni Gold Cup and Travis Stakes at Te Rapa at 2000m.

"If she'd got the gap that Savvy Coup took on the middle day, it might have been us running second rather than her — and those two mares have run the quickest last 600m of the race," Des said.

"She's never won at 1600m in her life and she doesn't come into her own until 2000m.

Savvy Coup will take a hell of a lot of beating but we're hoping.

"Jamie has done a terrific job with her at Te Akau and they are confident they have got her spot on for this weekend. She's got those two group two wins and she's now group one-placed at a shorter distance so that looks good on her pedigree page.

"She won't get in foal till next year so she can race on through the autumn and hopefully we can have a lot more fun with her yet."

Weekend highlights

● Hastings hosts the Livamol Classic, Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas and Red Badge Spring Sprint.
● Kiwi stayer Jon Snow takes on superstar mare Winx in today's Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
● Zacada shoots for Melbourne Cup exemption and Verry Elleegant makes her Australian debut on the undercard.