Tamworth trainer Ernie Mabbott has five runners engaged on Friday night as part of the Tamworth HRC eight-race meeting - and he is looking for a top effort from all his runners. But his stable favourite, Hedges Avenue, will be at home in the paddock.
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Hedges Avenue, who Mabbott races along with his son Anthony, was crowned the NSW Standardbred Owners Association aged mare for the 2018/19 season at the Associations Awards night over the weekend in Sydney.
This is the second trophy in the past month that Hedges Avenue has picked up after taking out the Tamworth HRC Mare of the Year at the club's recent awards night.
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Mabbott missed the invitation to the awards night in Sydney but was thrilled when the news was channelled through to him.
"I missed the invite to go and I would have loved to have been there," said Ernie. "I feel bad I wasn't there.
"It is great to receive the award, especially for a country owner, and for a battler to be able to achieve something like that is so good."
Hedges Avenue had 32 race starts for the season for eight wins and nine placings and also recorded her career fastest mile rate of 1min 51.2sec, at Menangle.
"It was good for the mare to win the award at Tamworth but to win the state award, that topped it off," added Mabbott who knew he had a good horse after purchasing Hedges Avenue back in September 2018 out of Sydney.
"That would be the biggest award so far that I have received for any of my horses," he said.
"I knew she had ability when I started working her. And I knew I had to get her onto the bigger tracks - she turned out better than I expected."
With 16 race starts in the North West, Hedges Avenue produced five wins and five placings, before Mabbott decided to send the mare to Hunter Valley trainer Clayton Harmey.
Under Harmey's training, Hedges Avenue produced three wins which included the win at Menangle back in August, with a mile rate of 1.51.2 for 1609 metres.
The mare's last start being back on October 27 resulted in a second to the Aaron Goadsby-trained Takara Truffle at Menangle.
"Clayton has done a good job with the mare," said Mabbott. Hedges Avenue has also won at Newcastle and Albion Park.
"We gave her a couple of weeks off and she is now ready to come back into work and I will look at some Cup races for her in January," said Mabbott.
With just over 50 years experience in the harness racing industry, Mabbott will be trackside on Friday night at Tamworth - presenting his five stable runners.
"I have got a team but there are no superstars in them," he said. "But they will all go around and do their best."
Jetawayjo will be the first of the Mabbott runners, and will run in the opening event. She is coming off a last-start third to Roll With Annie (Jemma Coney) at Tamworth.
"She is going super," said Mabbott who will then harness up Cause A Big Scene in the following event.
"He [Cause A Big Scene] put in a bad run last start but he is going OK," said Mabbott who has engaged Tamworth reinsman Anthony Varga to take all his drives.
Carramar Sovereign in the Pit Express Pace, White Wash in the PeterMac Photography Pace and Fast Is Bettor in the Congratulations Hedges Avenue Pace will round out the night for the team.
