Te Akau Cambridge Trials' Report

Date: 9 Jan 2019

Te Akau horses trialled at  Cambridge on Tuesday 8 January -

Weather: fine, track: Good3, rail: true

 

Heat 3 2YO 800 metres (¾ lengths, ¾ lengths 46.7)

Vino Bella (2 f Burgundy - Pinstinct) - Opie Bosson; began well to slide across second outer, travelled comfortably and finished strongly without much urging for second.

She trialled stylishly for second here before finishing fourth off a wide run on debut in October at Tauherenikau, and freshened since.  Her dam, Pinstinct, was a winner on good ground over 1200 metres and left two individual winners of three races.  Sire Burgundy (Redoute's Choice) is a three-quarter brother to Darci Brahma (Danehill) - both purchased as yearlings by David Ellis - trained by Te Akau to win five stakes races. Sire of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Dijon Bleu, NZ leading second season sire, with Group winning progeny at two and three, his oldest progeny are now four.  Interestingly, Pinstinct is out of Oregon mare Oregon Express and the same cross gave rise to the best horse sired by Champion stallion Pins: Ambitious Dragon. He won 13 races, including six Group One, the equivalent of NZ$10.9 million in prize money and twice named Hong Kong Horse of the Year.

 

vino bella trial

 

 

Heat 5 2YO 800 metres (½ a length, ¾ lengths 45.8)

2 g Rock ‘N' Pop - Enhance - Shafiq Rusof; began well to share a genuine three way pace (middle), travelled up nicely in the straight and showed a good action to win well.

Bred and owned by Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM, Lydia Ellis and Julia-Rose Ellis, he is the first foal from their talented filly Enhance (Saperavi) who stylishly won her first two starts. He is a three-quarter brother to Vino Bella (above). Bred by Karyn, the dam of Enhance, Pinstinct, from the Oregon mare Oregon Express, was a winner when trained by Mark Walker and given to her when retired from racing by the late Kim Lee.

 

Heat 6 2YO 800 metres (head, ½ a head 46.2)

2 f Savabeel - Banchee - Jonathan Riddell; positioned handily on the inner, four lengths 500m, trailed turn, through one off she finished strongly without urging for fourth in a tight finish.

Bred and owned by Sir Peter Vela, her dam, Banchee (Oratorio) was Champion Two-Year-Old with wins in the Diamond Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m), Matamata Breeders' Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m), second in the Eclipse Stakes (Gr. 3, 1200m), and third in the Karaka Million (Restricted Listed, 1200m), during a juvenile season that saw her earmarked for the Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m).  A family with tremendous courage and ability, the filly is a three-quarter sister to Champion Three-Year-Old and history maker Katie Lee (Pins), who won both the 1000 & 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m).

 

Banchee trial

 

Heat 7 2YO 800 metres (7 ¼ lengths, ¾ lengths 46.5)

2 f Pierro - Gypsy Chimes - Opie Bosson; utilized barrier one to co-lead, travelled beautifully and raced clear under her own steam to win in splendid fashion.

In training for Coolmore Australia, she looked an exciting prospect at her first trial outing.  Coolmore stallion Pierro (Lonhro), Champion First & Second Season Sire, has already left an Australian Derby and VRC Oaks winner. The quintessential racehorse, he only ever ran in stakes races, winning 11 of his 14 starts. The unbeaten Triple Crown winner as a two-year-old amassed $4.5 million and already had yearling progeny reach $1.5m in the sales ring.  The filly carries a Mr. Prospector cross, through Straight Strike on the dam side of Lonhro, and the dam side of dam sire Snow Ridge (Tabasco Cat).

 

Gypsy trial

 

Heat 8 2YO 800 metres (4 ¾ lengths, 2 lengths 47.3)

Equinox (2 c Exceed and Excel - Our Ella Belle) - Opie Bosson; began well to lead, travelled under a hold and came clear stylishly to win by a big margin.

Purchased by David Ellis for $750,000, from the draft of Pencarrow Stud, at the 2018 Karaka Book 1 Sale, he too looked an exciting prospect at his first trial outing for the Te Akau 2018 Colt Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).  From the high-class race mare Our Ella Belle, a fast finisher for third to Katie Lee (Pins) in the 2009 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m), the family has been nurtured by Pencarrow since (Sir) Peter and Philip Vela bought her fourth dam, Heidi Belle (Copenhagen 11).  Danehill son Exceed and Excel is the most successful sire of juvenile stakes winners at stud in Australia, and the colt carries a Northern Dancer cross through the breeding of Exceed and Excel and as the great-grandsire of dam sire Encosta De Lago.

 

Equinox trial

 

Heat 9 2YO 800 metres (short neck, 3 ¼ lengths 45.8)

Mary Gold (2 f Ocean Park - Gold Rocks) - Opie Bosson; eased to last off the outside gate, six lengths 600m, tracked up on the inner turning for home and without a lot room she finished solidly for fifth.

In training for Waikato Stud, Mary Gold, having her first trial, is a half-sister to Gold Fever (Savabeel), bought by David Ellis for the Te Akau Gold Fever Syndicate. Gold Fever was a Champion Two-Year-Old finalist (won by stable-mate Melody Belle (Commands)) after becoming the sixth Te Akau filly to win Matamata Breeders' Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) and finishing third in both the Eclipse Stakes (Gr. 3, 1200m) and Sistema Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m). The first foal from the mare, Gold Rush (So You Think), also won the Matamata Breeders' Stakes.

 

Heat 13 Open 935 metres (2 ¾ lengths, 1 ½ lengths 54.2)

Al Haram (5 g Sea the Stars - En Public) - Chelsea Burdan; ridden quietly at the rear, ten lengths 600m, he made ground running home and was good through the line.

A winner over 2100 metres in France, by the exceptional 1600m - 2400m European Champion Three-Year-Old and European Horse of the Year Sea the Stars (Cape Cross), a half-brother to Galileo (Sadler's Wells) - both out of Urban Sea (Miswaki) - he was purchased by David Ellis for $42,500 through an Inglis online sale and owned by the Te Akau Al Haram Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).


Publicist
(3 g Redoute's Choice - Valadon) - Nik Bakar; ridden quietly at the rear, ten lengths 600m, he made ground running home and was good through the line.

Holding a NZ Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) nomination, freshened since a solid spring campaign from the Te Akau training base at Riccarton, where he won over a mile before contesting the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m).  Purchased for $560,000 by David Ellis at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Highgrove Stud, for the Te Akau 2017 Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).  By the undisputed king of Australian sires Redoute's Choice, son of the most successful sire of all time in Danehill (Danzig), his dam sire, Woodman (Mr. Prospector), who left 109 stakes winners, has also left more than one-hundred stakes winners as a broodmare sire.

 

Heat 14 Open 935 metres (1 ¼ lengths, 1 ¾ lengths 53.6)

Witchery (4 m Savabeel - Now the World) - Opie Bosson; squeezed to last at the start, 12 lengths 600m, she made ground running home and was good through the line.

Clocked the fastest 600m (32.2) of the day when finishing second fresh-up over 1000 metres in October, capping it with a cosy win over 1200 metres, and freshened since.  By champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) and in training for Gerry Harvey (Westbury Stud), her dam, Now the World (Flying Spur), has left five individual winners of 14 races and second dam Light up The World (Rory's Jester) was a multiple group winner in Australia.  Golden Slipper winning dam sire Flying Spur (Danehill) has left 99 stakes winners.


Byzantine
(3 g Savabeel - Baradevi) - Jonathan Riddell; worked forward to race outside the leader on a genuine pace and fighting solidly he was easy over the concluding stages.

Byzantine made a positive start to his career when fighting hard for second in the Maiden 2YO 1000 metres at Trentham, then scoring at Matamata, both in March, before finishing a close fifth in the Waikato Equine Vets 2YO Stakes (Listed, 1200m) in May at Te Rapa. Owned by the Te Akau 2017 Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), purchased by David Ellis for $200,000 from the draft of Little Avondale Stud at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale.  His grand-dam, Sharvasti (Montjeu), won the Avondale Cup (Gr. 1, 2200m) and finished second in two other Group One races. Third dam Vedodara (Kreisler) won the Hawkes Bay Guineas (Listed, 1400m) and finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m).

 

Heat 15 Maiden 935 metres (head, long neck 55.0)

Ocean Star (3 g Ocean Park - Star of Gibraltar) - Shafiq Rusof; jumped and travelled well near the pace, rounding off strongly for second with more to offer.

He was freshened following two starts in the spring, after showing promise at the trials, and matured nicely for the break.  Owned by the Te Akau Ride the Wave Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), purchased by David Ellis for $90,000 from the Monovale Farm draft at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale. From the second crop of quadruple Group One winner and New Zealand Horse of the Year Ocean Park (Thorn Park), his dam, Star of Gibraltar (Danehill), has left five individual winners of 15 races, including stakes winner and multiple Group Three placed Tukiyo (Haradasun) in Australia.

 

Ocean trial

 

Heat 16 Maiden 935 metres (¾ lengths, 3 lengths 54.2)

Top Brass (3 g Epaulette - Highlight) - Shafiq Rusof; was patiently ridden at the tail, 12 lengths 600m, drawn widest rounding the home turn and staged a big finish for fourth.

By the multiple Group One winning sprinter Epaulette (Commands), standing at Darley in Australia, he is the first foal of a High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells) mare that won five races from 1400m - 1900m, from a good producing dam line that includes talented third dam Superjet (Jetball).

 

Heat 17 Maiden 935 metres (5 ¾ lengths, ½ a head 53.9)

Willpower (3 g Power - The Lady) - Shafiq Rusof; eased from an outside barrier, back and wide, 12 lengths 600m, improved wide nearing the home turn and sustained a big finish for fourth.

Purchased for the Te Akau 2017 Te Akau Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis) by David Ellis, from the draft of Cambridge Stud, at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale for $250,000, he was freshened following two starts in the spring. His dam, The Lady (Stravinsky), won two stakes races as a two-year-old and second dam, Lady Dehere (Dehere), was Second Top Filly in the Two-Year-Old Free Handicaps of her juvenile year.  Sire, Power (Oasis Dream), standing at Cambridge Stud, has made a great start to his stud career, siring five individual Group and stakes' winners with his first crop two-year-olds. Gift of Power is leading the way, winning 10 races including a Group Two and two listed victories.

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