Royally bred filly upsets at Addington

Indulge Me (Downbytheseaside) dented a few reputations when she put away a very strong field of two year old fillies in the third heat of the Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Two Year Old Fillies series at Addington last night.

From her second row draw, trainer driver Nathan Williamson let Indulge Me drift out to last as Cath made the pace up front.

With just under a lap to run Lizzie Borden improved three wide and Alecto and Indulge Me hopped onto the three wide train. Alecto was left three wide for the last part of the trip and Indulge Me was right on her helmet. Turning in, Williamson hooked out to make his run and Indulge Me came down the middle of the track with a genuine run to get up and win by half a neck from Cath with Alecto a length and a quarter back in third.

INDULGE ME REPLAY

“It just worked out good getting a drag into it behind the right one. I was travelling well to the bend, but I was a bit worried when I came out. She’s a bit green. She’s still learning, especially with that sort of pressure but she finished it off real strong,” Williamson said.

He added that there were no issues with the slushy track conditions.

“I think it suited her because she’s been having a few issues with her feet. Sometimes the sting out of the track helps.”

Indulge Me is owned by John and Katrina Price. John was on course to see the win and Katrina was watching it on Friday Night Lights.

“When they got to halfway down the straight I thought it was wonderful and I was pleased that she’d done everything professionally and was running on. Then I started screaming as she was getting a little bit closer,” she said.

The win puts Indulge Me into the $200,000 Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes Final on Show Day.

“Its good because she doesn’t have to run in another heat. We’ll just plot a path. Let’s hope she keeps improving. She’s only had two race starts,” Williamson said.

Katrina said it was pleasing to see how settled Indulge Me looked for a filly having her first trip away and being under the lights for the first time.

“I noticed in the prelim she was looking nice and relaxed when walking around behind the mobile. She’s been a bit of a work in progress. She can get a bit uptight, but Nathan’s done a great job taking her slowly at the workouts and looking after her. It’s been all about education rather that beating the clock, so he deserves a lot of credit.”

She added that John has also been instrumental in getting the filly more settled.

“When we broke her in she did take a bit of work. She was too eager to go, so between the two of them they’ve done an awful amount of work with her.”

It’s rare for a Williamson trained runner to pay such a big dividend, but the $41.50 winning price was indicative of the quality and depth of last night’s field.

The win furthers the great run the Prices are having as breeders, trainers and owners.

“We’ve gone up to Christchurch plenty of times and got our bums kicked. I guess if you do it enough times sometimes you will get lucky. We’re enjoying, it I can tell you that,” Katrina said.

Williamson will be looking to repeat last years success with Captains Mistress and win the Sires’s Stakes Final.

“It would be nice to do it again for sure. I’m just thrilled to have another nice filly in the race. That was an extremely strong field and for her to beat them I was really thrilled. What she lacked in ringcraft she made up for in ability.”

Indulge Me’s dam Sweet On Me also won the Sires’ Stakes Final in 2019.

Other recent successes include Duchess Maria’s win in the Group Three “The Sundon” at Addington, Confederate’s win in Auckland and Chicago Sky’s win at Wyndham on Thursday.

In referring to Chicago Sky, Katrina said “Really pleased with her. That trip away to Addington has been really good for her. She never wins by much. It’s been like that at the workouts so the half a neck is a whopping margin for her. She keeps doing what is asked of her and that’s all you can ask.”

By running second to Celestial Sea in the second heat of the Nevele R Fillies Series, Chicago Sky has qualified for the $200,000 final on Cup Day.

The Prices don’t train a big team and they’re enjoying having Chicago Sky in work.

“She’s a lovely filly to work with at home. We’ve got a nice ownership group with family members and friends. It’s nice to keep your hand in and do some of them (laughter).”

Indulge Me is impeccably bred. Her dam Sweet On Me won six of her seven starts for Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen.

The Prices bought her in July 2023.

“Peter Lagan sourced her for us. She was only just a weanling and I went up and had a look at her and bought her. We’re very privileged to have bought her because of the family she’s out of. She obviously had residual value as a broodmare but this (last night’s win) is the icing on the cake.”

At the time they were on the lookout for a member of the famed Scuse Me family.

“We had Hartofdixie at that stage but you don’t turn down that family. Having that direct line through to Adore Me was very appealing.” 

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink