Adore Me gets a race of her own

Adore Me hasn’t raced since 2015, but her name will be back at Addington on November 13 with the inaugural running of the $75,000 Group 2 Adore Me, a new race for mares on Show Day Friday.

For co-owners Paul and Mary Kenny, it’s a chance to recognise a horse who gave them some unforgettable moments.

“Mary and I have wanted to do something to recognise a horse that was very special to us and a very special race mare,” Kenny says.

And Adore Me gave them plenty to remember.

She won 26 of her 36 starts, including 12 at Group 1 level, and earned more than $1.6 million during a career that took her to the top on both sides of the Tasman.

But it wasn’t just how often she won. It was how she did it.

In 2014, Adore Me took on New Zealand’s best pacers in the New Zealand Cup at Addington and won in 3:54.6, breaking the world record for 3200 metres from a standing start.

It was one of 11 wins she recorded at Addington.

“Her achievements here were incredible,” says Addington Raceway Racing and Property Manager John Denton.

“Including her Cup win, she had 11 wins at Addington, so it seems very fitting for us to have a race in her honour.”

A few months after her Cup victory, Adore Me headed across the Tasman and produced another performance that still stands out more than a decade later.

She won the 2015 Ladyship Mile at Menangle in Sydney in 1:47.7.

More than 11 years on, it remains the fastest mile ever recorded by a mare in Australia.

“I still remember that win very fondly,” Kenny says, “and the hush that came over the crowd when they announced the 1:47.7.”

Her racing career came to an end later in 2015, but Adore Me’s story didn’t stop there.

She retired to Woodlands Stud and has gone on to make her mark as a broodmare too. Her progeny include 13-race winner Darling Me, Group 1 winners Sweet On Me and All You Need Is Me, and promising mare Cherish Me.

“She’s still very much alive and well at Woodlands and we see her when we can,” Kenny says.

The Kennys have committed to sponsoring the Adore Me for the next three years, with hopes the race can eventually be elevated to Group 1 status.

For a mare who produced some of her greatest moments at Addington, having her name back on the Show Day card feels like a fitting next chapter.