Patsy Abrahams was recognised with a Pearl Kelly Award last night, honouring her outstanding contribution to Victorian harness racing across decades of involvement in the sport.
After learning to ride at the age of 10, Patsy Abrahams graduated to competing in races, ladies’ bracelets and point-to-point events, along with her love of hunt club disciplines.
At the age of 21 she married Kevin, and with Sandown Racecourse nearby, the young couple’s early interest was in thoroughbreds, buying horses and training them for jumping races.
They had runners in feature races such as the Australian and Grand National Hurdles.
Abrahams reached the pinnacle of her riding career in 1962 when she won the prestigious Garryowen at the Royal Melbourne Show on Windywold, breaking a seven-year drought for Victorian riders.
Later she became a member of the judging panel for the Garryowen.
Abrahams showed Standardbreds at the Royal Melbourne Show for many years with great success.
After relocating to Meadowbrook Stud at Riddles Creek, she became more involved with Standardbreds, and while the record books show Kevin, David and Patsy as trainers for the past 60 years, Patsy was the behind-the-scenes trainer for much of the success.
She won a Shepparton Trainers Premiership and competed successfully in races.
Under the banner of Meadowbrook Stud, Abrahams and Kevin owned and stood some of Victoria’s most successful and prolific stallions, including Gyro, Cute Van and Gyration, following their stellar careers on the racetrack.
Abrahams would often prepare more than 20 yearlings for the yearling sales, with many of her drafts topping the sales.
Abrahams was also very involved with the Riding for the Disabled program.
When Kevin became an HRV board member, Abrahams took over as the official trainer for their horses and was a regular attendee at the Moonee Valley meetings on a Saturday night.
One of the biggest wins Abrahams was associated with came when she campaigned Cute Van in the 1976 Tasmanian Pacing Championship, where the pacer took out two heats and the final.
Along with Kevin, Abrahams raced many top-class performers including Argent, the dam of Gyro and Gyration, Landcliffe, Super Gift, Fume, Why Worry and the dual-gaited Chief Guy, who could trot as fast as he could pace.
Abrahams has travelled extensively to attend several of the most prestigious races in the world, including the Little Brown Jug, Hambletonian, Elitloppet, Meadowlands Pace and Inter Dominion Carnivals.
