By MIKE DILLON
Keith Hawtin owes his mate a few drinks.
Just before he left home for Ellerslie races on Saturday, Hawtin had a call from his friend to say So Lets was 80-1 on the fixed odds for Wednesday's $150,000 Avondale Cup.
"He asked if he should take the 80-1 before she raced at Ellerslie later in the day and I half pie talked him out of it," said Hawtin yesterday.
Not that Hawtin had doubts So Lets could win at Ellerslie - he felt the mare was close enough to a good thing if she finally copped some luck - he simply did not think he would back her up in the Avondale Cup.
Now he thinks he will.
The underrated mare was so impressive winning on Saturday that the temptation of a group-one opportunity with 52kg is almost too good to resist.
"I haven't made my mind up yet, but at this stage it looks like she will run," said Hawtin yesterday.
"She ate up very well after the race and I'll see how she continues to eat and how she trots up in the morning."
As the winner of only two races, So Lets had to jump three grades to run in Saturday's open handicap, but that was offset by the overall shocking class of our current band of second-tier middle distance horses.
If you needed any further evidence of that, it came when hurdler All American was able to win Saturday's $30,000 Wanganui Cup.
But don't make the mistake of underestimating So Lets.
Michael Walker was hugely impressed on Saturday. The win helped to ease the pain in his back after the first race crash of his short career from Deebee Belle in the Soliloquy Stakes.
"This is a class mare. I felt that when I won the Eulogy Stakes on her last season," he said, popping a pain-killer.
Walker wants to stay with So Lets. He is engaged for Kaapeon in the Avondale Cup and was disappointed when Hawtin told him in the jockeys' room he might back the mare up on Wednesday.
"Oh, don't do that to me," he said.
Pressed, Walker said he was happy enough to be on Kaapeon, but would be just as happy if it were possible to make the switch to So Lets.
Hawtin said he had a couple of options for a rider on Wednesday and would confirm after discussing the mare's immediate programme with his owners today.
He felt the mare would be even fitter if he ran her at Avondale.
"She didn't really have a race when she ran out of room in the home straight at Tauranga at her previous start, so this race has tightened her up nicely."
So Lets' record would be a lot better but for a bad fall when racing in Sydney last season.
"I reckon if she'd stayed here she'd have won the Oaks in January," said Hawtin.
Someone at the TAB must have been impressed by the win. Hawtin left Ellerslie thinking he probably would start on Wednesday and called into the Rangiriri Tavern to check the fixed odds.
"I couldn't believe it. I knew the 80-1 would have disappeared, but I nearly fell over when she was $8.50 second favourite."
Hawtin's ex-mate was shocked too.
Racing: Avondale shortener may cost Hawtin
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