Too big too strong – a win to cherish

Cherish Me (Downbytheseaside) has stamped herself as a super star of the future.

From a tricky second row draw she dominated and smashed a field of high quality fillies in the $200,000 Group One Nevele R Three Year Old Fillies Series Final at Addington today.

When her draw (outside of the second row) came out it occupied driver Carter Dalgety’s mind for a few days.

“I was scratching my head a little bit. It’s an amazing crop of fillies. There were half a dozen that could have won that race. For her to have to do all the work and win the way she did blew he away. Her mother would be proud,” he said.

Trained by Cran and Chrissie Dalgety and owned by Charles Joseph Limited, Cherish Me has a blue blood pedigree being out of $1.6 million dollar earner Adore Me who won this race in 2013.

Cherish Me had a rough start to life and is lucky to be here, let alone winning Group One races.

“She had a bad accident as a yearling and if it wasn’t for Rangiora Vets Sam Taylor and Rachael Smith patching her up, she wouldn’t be here.”

Cherish Me only started racing in April, running a second before going on a four win winning streak.

After a break she came back and ran second to quality pacer Borrisokane and second to Indulge Me in a heat of the series. She then won the Hilarious Guest before winning the last heat of the Nevele R Series at Ashburton.

Today’s win was her seventh in just ten starts so for sure she’s come a long way in a very short time.

Early in this preparation Cherish Me wasn’t steering straight but today it was a distant memory.

“She was absolutely perfect and that’s a credit to every single one of our staff at home. Andrew Drake our foreman does a lot of work with her. I just pick up the reins on race day, but her progression has just been amazing.”

In today’s race Dalgety plotted a path through from the second row when Cherish Me followed Fly High out.

“There was no way I was going to be unlucky in the final. I knew she was a great staying filly and I had to drive her like the best horse.”

When the field sorted itself out Cherish Me was out three wide on the back of Fly High. At the winning post with a lap to run Dalgety made his filly slide to the top and at the 450 he opened the throttle and all of the chasing bunch were off the bit.

At the line she had a three length buffer on her stablemate All Of Me with Indulge Me closing late half a neck back in third.

CHERISH ME REPLAY

The winning time of 2-20.1 (mile rate of 1-53.8) lowered Amazing Dream’s 2020 race and New Zealand record of 2-20.3.

What makes the time even more remarkable was that she did it on slushy track.

All three placegetters share broodmare gem Scuse Me as their second or third dam.

The New Zealand Oaks over 2600 metres in ten days time will be the next target for most of these fillies.

“We’ll get her ready for the Oaks in a couple of weeks. You’d like to think she’d be even better over 2600 but we won’t get too ahead of ourselves.”

Adore Me, after winning the Nevele R Fillies Series Final went on to win the New Zealand Oaks.

Meanwhile New Zealander Wilson House has won the 2026 1Equine Australasian Young Drivers Championship which concluded at Addington today.

In what proved to be a tight contest House finished on 79 points – one clear of Jett Turnbull on 78. Layne Dwyer followed on 75 and Jordan Leedham finished on 73.

In the last heat today House finished seventh driving My Wingman.

“To be honest I thought I was beaten and thought I was a couple of spots too far back to have got what I needed,” Wilson said.

It’s been a very good eleven months for House. He was crowned New Zealand Junior Driver of the Year in December and now 1Equine Australasian Young Drivers Champion.

“We’re very fortunate to have the series that we do. It’s been run for a long time now. It all comes down to the sponsors this year from 1Equine, HRNZ’s organisation and especially all the trainers and owners who put all the horses in and make it happen.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink