Hansen just waiting for a mate after Dolly

By Jordan Gerrans

The QTIS Jewel provided Central Queensland trainer Kevin Hansen one of his greatest days on a racetrack a few years ago and he is bidding to be back on the city stage again with promising youngster Ask Me Mate.

Now with a downscaled team of just a couple of gallopers in work, the 73-year-old has high hopes for the three-year-old Better Than Ready gelding and believes he will make a town-class horse in time.

Ask Me Mate has only missed finishing in the money on one occasion from his six career starts and will jump from a wide gate in Friday’s QTIS Jewel qualifier at Callaghan Park.

Hansen’s CQ barn was up in lights across the 2020-21 season when his former stable star Sweet Dolly was all the rage.

She went into QTIS Jewel day of 2021 undefeated in three career efforts and made it four on the bounce in the prestigious feature for Queensland-bred juveniles.

Ask Me Mate does not have the unblemished race record leading into the Jewel campaign that Sweet Dolly boasted but Hansen thinks the young gelding’s two victories from six attempts have been full of merit.

“He is a lovely little horse and has a lot of talent,” the veteran conditioner said.

“His first two wins were pretty exceptional and even his run in Mackay, that was a top run as he was carrying a lot of weight and he is not an overly big horse.

“He has had to carry the weight in his last three runs, even first-up he had to carry 59kg.

“He is back to set weights on Friday, I think we will see a better run for him. The 57kg will suit him much better.”

Multiple Group 1-winning rider Sean Cormack takes the assignment of Ask Me Mate from a wide alley in Friday’s 1100 metre contest.

The experienced Cormack has been on a winning spree up north of late, collecting a ‘Rocky’ treble in late January as well as another double seven days later.

The 54-year-old Cormack is yet to ride Ask Me Mate in a race but as Hansen has used a handful of hoops in the gelding's races and trials so far, it should not be cause for concern.

Even if Ask Me Mate does not qualify for the Jewel decider on Friday, Hansen is adamant his emerging stable youngster will compete in South East Queensland at some stage in his career.

“He has a lot of upside to him the horse, I think he will go a fair way,” Hansen said.

“I think he will go through his grades. From early on, he has showed us a fair bit. He is only small so we have tried to manage him to get him to where he is now.

“He is developing into a nice little horse.”

Ask Me Mate is raced by CQ local Colin Bell and was a $60,000 purchase.

While Hansen had a charmed run with Sweet Dolly, she retired to the breeding barn after just five race starts.

A suspensory ligament injury surfaced shortly after her Jewel career highlight and while she returned for another preparation, he was not completely happy with her so the team decided not to race on.

She collected $481,950 in career stakes.

Hansen has downscaled his own stable in recent years so he can aid his son Kris as he aims to build up his own barn.

Kris has around nine in work at Rockhampton and recently picked up a couple of smart gallopers following Graeme Green’s retirement.

Kris will have two face the starter on Friday at Callaghan Park.

“I have cut back the numbers I have but I am enjoying it, it is good,” Kevin Hansen said.

The Central Queensland area have had a strong representation when it comes to the QTIS Jewel decider in recent years and Hansen believes the winner of Friday’s qualifier will be competitive when they travel to the city. 

He identified John Wigginton’s two runners in the qualifier as well as Tom Smith’s Scrub Chain as major players.

“Whoever wins this race on Friday, I think they will be a good chance in the Jewel,” he said.

Staged on March 8, the $2 million Queensland Jewel race day returns to the Gold Coast Turf Club and once again it will be headlined by the $500,000 2YO QTIS Jewel and the $500,000 3YO QTIS Jewel.

Cairns’ Cannon Park will also host a Jewel qualifier on Saturday.