aaron_bain | Aaron Bain News 61061 Weekend Review

Aaron Bain Racing would like to thank everyone for helping make the Gala Dinner last Friday a runaway success.

Close to 300 people had a fabulous evening, with guest speakers Damien Oliver and Glen Boss entertaining and the night expertly compered by Terry McAuliffe.

Hopefully, triple Melbourne Cup winning jockey Glen Boss is a good judge jumping on the ABR train and informing the audience he believes co-trainers Aaron Bain and Ned Taylor will be the state’s top mentors within 10 years.

ABR is impatient and hope it doesn’t take quite that long but recognises a lot of hard work has to be done to become “an overnight success.”

Oliver, who rode for ABR before his retirement, also gave a glowing report on the presentation of our runners.

ABR needs to compliment the staff at the Wolf Blass ‘The Man’ Centre for their service and mouth-watering food.

The main award of the night was the ABR and Summit Bloodstock 2024 Horse Of The Year and the winner was Group 1 Victoria Oaks winner COASTAL BABE.

Trained in New Zealand by Steven Reid, the filly had just two runs in Australia for wins in the heat and final of the Victoria Oaks at Melton.

In New Zealand, she had two wins and a second from nine runs.

COASTAL BABE also took out the Two & Three-Year-Old Rising Stars award ahead of her Victoria Oaks placegetters KISS and SHOWSOMEJOY.

The Four-Year-Old and Open age award went to HEZA PUNK ROCKER, winner of the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series ahead of SOHO HISTORIA and IM THEMIGHTYLUCY.

The South Australian Harness Horse Of The Year was taken out by WINGS ON THE LINE from IM THEMIGHTYLUCY and SHEZA MANIPULATOR.

The Thoroughbred Horse Of The Year was EVERGLADE ahead of THERMODYNAMIC and MIDNIGHT MASS.

The five-year-old mare had three wins from five starts.

Aaron Bain, principal of Aaron Bain Racing, loves his ABR family and became emotional when he announced the newest additions to the ABR Life Members’ Club.

First to join inaugural inductee Chris Dean was prominent owner Brad Fitzgerald from Platinum Services SA, quietly spoken, but a major supporter of ABR.

Anyone who watches the ABR runners would be aware of Nicole Rantanen Reynolds and her husband David who wear clothing to support the business in their red, white & blue.

They joined ABR after a walk through the Globe Derby Park harness stables several years ago and have become wonderful supporters of the brand.

The test is now on to make the 2026 ABR Gala Dinner, bigger and better!

Thoroughbred Racing SA made the decision to move the Sportsbet Oakbank race meeting from Wednesday to Thursday this week because of the forecast 42-degree day on the former day.

A cool change is tipped with a forecast high of 27 degrees on Thursday making conditions a lot more comfortable.

Three acceptors for ABR at Oakbank.

The first is PACIFIC JEWEL in race three, the Stateliner Coaches Maiden (1400m) at 2.30pm SA time.

Unfortunately, PACIFIC JEWEL is fourth emergency in a field of 18 and is going to need a lot of luck to obtain a run.

Apprentice Taylah Johnstone has been booked to ride and claim 1.5kg, and the mare has drawn nicely in gate three should she obtain a run.

She had no luck on her SA debut and can run a much better race here.

NAVY GOLD is ABR’s next runner in race five, the Harcourts Adelaide Hills Benchmark 56 Handicap (1400m) at 3.30pm SA time.

The four-year-old has drawn gate two in a field of 16 with two emergencies.

Jason Holder has been booked to ride NAVY GOLD which will be out to go one better than his very unlucky second at Murray Bridge on January 24.

Again, with any luck, he should be super competitive.

ABR’s final runner is DON’TDOUBTLAYLA in race seven, the Magain Real Estate Benchmark 56 Handicap (1100m) at 4.30pm SA time.

We have chosen to back the mare up after her unplaced run at Murray Bridge last Wednesday.

She was an impressive winner at Oakbank at her first run for ABR and we have booked apprentice Isaac Sit who rode her to victory that day.

He will claim 4kg and DON’TDOUBTLAYLA has drawn barrier 14 in a field of 20 with four emergencies.

The wide draw should not be too much of a disadvantage as the mare will get back and give the jockey a chance to give her a clear run down the outside in the home straight.

Provided she can back up, DON’TDOUBTLAYLA should be hard to hold out.

ABR Weekend Star

OVEREXTEND provided the perfect postscript to ABR’s Gala Dinner weekend with a strong win at Morphettville on Saturday.

Ridden by apprentice Taylah Johnstone, the six-year-old began brilliantly from his outside draw and crossed down to second spot rounding the home turn.

OVEREXTEND ($10) wore down the bold front running leader Vexatious Dancer ($14) to score by a half-length with The Magistrate ($10) a similar margin away third in The Grand Syndicates Handicap (1050m).

The gelding now has won three times second up in six preparations, with a second as well.

Trainer Aaron Bain said Overextend had benefitted from a good break.

“When we first got him he had been up for 11 months and we tried to take advantage of his wet track form and pushed on his with his preparation,” Bain said.

“It is not something we normally do with tried horses, but we gave him three runs and he got progressively worse and worse.

“We had no option but to spell, and to be fair to the owners, I said we could put him online and cut our losses or we give him a freshen up and start again.

“They were very patient, and his best form is his fresh form.

“He went very good first up and the horse that beat him went on to win at the (Moonee) Valley last Friday, so the form was good enough.

“This race on paper was a lovely race for him and it is not often you see horses get beaten at Penola and come to win in town second up, but he got the job done.

“It was a lovely ride by Taylah (Johnstone), she got across from the wide gate and he got the job done.”

Winning jockey Taylah Johnstone said she always wanted to use Overextend’s early speed to overcome his barrier draw of 12 in a field of 14.

“The plan was to go forward and leave him alone,” Johnstone said.

“They (trainers Aaron Bain and Ned Taylor) said he is a wind and grind sought of horse, he doesn’t have too much of a sprint.

“The horse running along in front kept him concentrating but I was getting a little bit worried that he was giving too much of head start.

“However, he had a bit left in the tank on the line, so it was a strong run.

“He was good through the line, but he is a bit of a thinker, however, once he went past the leader he was going to keep going.”