Ella Te Ama bids for North Queensland country Cups

By Glenn Davis

Former Toowoomba mare Ella Te Ama will enter a new phase in her career when she makes her Townsville debut on Friday.

The seven-year-old has been widely travelled since starting her career with Newcastle trainer Kris Lees as a three-year-old.

The daughter of Scissor Kick is now an eight-time winner from 45 starts including four for Lees before being moved on to Toowoomba trainer Matt Kropp.

She also won four times for Kropp including a win on debut in July of 2024 before bookending her time for the Toowoomba conditioner with a last start win at Armidale in Northern NSW last month.

Under Kropp, Ella Te Ama also raced on the dirt in the Birdsville and Bedourie Cups in 2024 as well as in the Cairns Newmarket and in Rockhampton last year.

She is now with the powerful Cairns training partnership of Trevor and Peter Rowe and will make her stable debut in the Open Handicap over 1400 metres at Cluden Park.

“She’s not a big mare but she’s won the hearts of all the girls in the stable,” Trevor Rowe said.

“On her work and form, I’ll be disappointed if she’s not in the firing line.

“She’s only been with me a few weeks and the big picture we have with her is to try and get her into the country Cups in the winter.

“She’s freshened up nicely for this race and 1400 metres is about as short as she wants it.”

Ella Te Ama was bought by prominent owner Sue Hammer at an Inglis online auction and is likely to head to the spelling paddock after her stable debut for 'Team Rowe'.

“I’ve got half-a-dozen horses that Sue owns in the stable and I’ve been training for her for about 12 months,” Trevor Rowe said.

“Ella Te Ama had about 10 days out in the paddock after her win at Armidale, but we had to wait for the transport company to resume work after Christmas before she headed up this way.

“Lindsay Hatch helped us out and looked after her for a while after her last win until we could put her on a float north.”

Despite the recent big wet in North Queensland, Townsville has missed the worst of torrential rain in North Queensland.

“We’ve had a fair amount of rain of late, but the track handles it really well and it raced well the last time they raced here,” Trevor Rowe said.

“If we do get more rain, it won’t bother her as she’s won on a heavy.”