ATTARD'S MARE OVERCOMES FRACTURED SKULL TO "BREAK" RIVALS
- John Curtis
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
It’s a well worn proverb (and a 1986 Billy Ocean hit as well) which surely applies to today’s Hawkesbury winner Nesrine.
The four-year-old mare, bred by Kate Nivison’s Etak Thoroughbreds, made a successful return to racing with an impressive victory in the Brad Widdup Provincial Maiden Plate (1100m) at her home track.
Ridden by Tommy Berry, Nesrine ($7.50) never gave her rivals a look-in, racing away in the straight to lead home a local trifecta.
Having only her third start and first since February, she defeated Peter Green’s Bold and Brazen ($17) and Ed Cummings’ Ex Wife ($9.50).
Jason Attard’s victory with Nesrine – his fourth of the season (and all have been at home) – was the first of three local winners; Brad Widdup made it two from two with the promising Young Mister Grace ($1.40) and Matt Vella made it two from three with another favorite Twinkling Star ($1.75).
And he had quite a tale to tell after his Denman mare had trounced her rivals, revealing she very nearly lost her life earlier this year from a paddock accident; ironically caused by her unraced younger half-sister, a Star Witness filly.
“Nesrine ran well at her first two starts (fourth at Bathurst in January, and second at Hawkesbury in February), and was very shin sore the day after the latter race,” Attard said this evening.
But that was only the beginning of her extended break from racing.
“Nesrine was to have about six weeks off to recover from the shin soreness,” Attard said.
“However, a day or so before she was to come back into work, she was kicked in the head by her younger sister in a paddock at the farm.
“Whilst it didn’t look too serious at the time, it turned out to be very serious.
“She had a fractured skull and went to Randwick Equine Centre, and at one stage we thought she was a goner.
“Thankfully she pulled through, and Kate Nivison agreed to let me rehab her at the farm.
“We had to mollycoddle her.
“It was a slow and lengthy process. She couldn’t eat lucerne hay, so we had to hand feed her chaff.
“And because she was box bound for quite a while, we walked her time and time again to let her pick grass.
“To come back from all that and win in the manner she did today was pretty special for all concerned, and a great result for the work put in by my staff and the staff at Randwick Equine Centre.
“Just after Nesrine crossed the line today, both Kate and myself got a text message from Hayley Blackburn at REC congratulating us on such a good result.
“That was a lovely gesture and greatly appreciated.
“I was confident Nesrine could run well first-up after such a long break and what she had been through, but would not have been surprised if she might have needed this run.
“She is a pretty special filly already, and hopefully can continue to be pretty special on the track.”
Nesrine is the first foal of the Canny Lad mare Jahanara, who sadly died just over three years ago at only six years of age.
Her second and last foal is the Star Witness three-year-old, who also will be trained by Attard and is yet to trial.
Brad Widdup posted his 10th winner of the season – and 60th at his home track – when hotpot Young Mister Grace (Dylan Gibbons) was again too swift for his rivals, this time in the CG&E Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).
“I don’t usually back my horses up a fortnight after winning their first race, but Young Mister Grace did so well after scoring at home on September 25, and this was a suitable race again at home.
“He has been a good mover right from the start and a really nice horse to work with.
“I’ll see how he pulls up before deciding whether we look for another race or give him a break.
“Young Mister Grace does look to have a good future.”
Similarly, Matt Vella has done a superb job with Twinkling Star since taking over the Zoustar four-year-old mare’s preparation.
Ridden by Mitchell Bell, she always travelled like a winner even though she raced wide without cover behind the leaders, and comfortably put her rivals away in the straight in the Clarendon Tavern F&M Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).
“Twinkling Star has won two from three for me, and was unlucky not to win the other one when third a fortnight ago,” Vella said.
“At this stage, she is showing enough that she will race on this season, whether or not she has a break shortly.”
Vella withdrew stablemate Everybody Rise from a home track assignment today, and will start him at Kembla Grange on Saturday in an Inglis Xtra Midway Maiden Plate (1200m) even though he drew awkwardly.
. Barrier trials scheduled for Hawkesbury on Monday week (October 20) have been put back a day to avoid clashing with Royal Randwick trials.
