Williams hoping luck holds for promising mare

19 February 2016

Progressive galloper Emily Monk returned to the racetrack with a vengeance on the weekend as she downed a handy line-up over 1400 metres in her first race back since suffering a bleeding attack during a victory at Avondale last November.

The lightly raced five-year-old O’Reilly mare was scoring her fourth career victory from just nine starts when she powered home in the middle of the Te Rapa track to down Watch This Space and race favourite Iwannadancelikehim in the rating 75 contest.

Co-trainer Dawn Williams, who prepares Emily Monk with husband Peter and Paul Richards from their Byerley Park base, was full of praise for the effort on return from a mandatory ninety day stand-down period.

“She’s a mare with untapped ability but has had quite a few things go wrong including a bleed at Avondale at her last start,” she said.

“She’s also been quite crook in the hocks and lost a lot of weight when she was in season even though she still won a race at that time.

“She’s just one of those horses that you hold your breath every time she goes out onto the track.”

While regarding the mare as a somewhat day-to-day proposition Williams is keen to see her get her opportunity for higher honours in this campaign.

“We will see how she pulls up but we have the Auckland Cup carnival coming up where there might be a nice race for her,” she noted.

“We might pick one of those fillies and mares races for her to see if she can get a bit of black type as I think she is certainly up to that level.” – NZ Racing Desk

David Hayes’ Absolute Awakened wins at Sha Tin

With Hong Kong’s new season just two weeks in, it wasn’t long before the progeny of Ardrossan stepped into the winners’ circle and at the second Sha Tin race meeting of the season, it was David Hayes’ Absolute Awakened who won by a length over 1400m.

13 September 2026

Four-winner weekend for Ocean Park

Every reliable, Ocean Park had another winning weekend, producing four winners in New Zealand and across the Tasman in Australia thanks to Rip Tide (ex Hurry), Moana Nui, Liberty Park and With Grace.