Te Akau's 3 Wins in 3 Countries in 17 hours

We are extraordinarily proud of our Te Akau team - THREE wins in THREE countries in 17 hours - we salute our hard working team - Mark and Gus and Karen in Singapore, Stephen and Jamie in New Zealand and Australia supported by Kerry, Kris and Nicole, Teina and Brad - and to all our amazing crew in Singapore and New Zealand, north and south - you make us so proud.

The amazing 17 hours started in the "wee early hours" of Saturday morning as Distinctive Darci made it three wins on the trot for our Singapore trainer Mark Walker when ridden by champion jockey Manuel Nunes.  Bought at the Karaka Premier Sale by David Ellis for $100,000, he looks to have a huge future ahead of him.  

Then on Saturday afternoon, Hall of Fame - another horse purchased by David from Karaka but this time the Ready to Run Sale last year for $230,000 - laid claim to move to fourth favourite for the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas with a dominant display in the Guineas' trial at Riccarton in the hands of Michael McNab.

Just around four hours later, joined by stable rider matt Cameron and his partner Blair at our Hastings lodge, David and Karyn together with Julia-Rose and Hamish and Lydia and her partner Jamie - were fixated on Caulfield as Shillelagh showed tremendous courage and determination to win at her second Australian start.  As we all know only bad luck at the start prior denied her victory on that occasion, so Saturday was all the sweeter ... and we were over the moon for her breeders who race her Christopher Grace QSM and his wife Susanna ... here's more ...

Looking as though luck may desert her again, Shillelagh (5 m Savabeel - Trocair, by Flying Spur) whistled home to snatch victory in the $40,000 Ladbrokes Up For the Challenge Handicap, Benchmark 84 1440 metres, on Saturday October at Caulfield.

Having lacked clear racing room in the straight, with more to offer, when finishing fifth in the $64,500 Rating 78 1200 metres at Caulfield, Shillelagh settled last of eleven under Damien Oliver. Opting for a split through centre field at the 300m, Shillelagh squeezed into space at the 180m and dashed home to win by a head.

It was a fantastic performance, after having no luck a fortnight ago, and took her record to five wins from eight starts for breeders and owners Christopher Grace QSM and his wife Susanna Grace.

On Good4 footing, Shillelagh ran the 1440 metres in 1:27.8, last 600m in 34.9, and as race favourite had a starting price of $3.30 in Australia.

In a colourful explanation of the run, Oliver said: “It's nice when you go from the shithouse to the penthouse.

“I was a bit concerned early when I got squeezed out the back and I didn't have much option, but I could see them opening up coming to the turn and I thought if I could pinch a bit of ground coming through them I won't be too far off them when we straighten and I managed to get in the clear and she finished really good.

"She is tough Kiwi mare with a bit of attitude about her.

“She can just turn on you. She was well behaved today, but we were ready to go in the gates and she started flipping out a little bit and it wasn't ideal for beginning and getting into some sort of ideal position,” Oliver said.

“But, she's got a nice future and as everyone saw she had the flashing light on last start so it was nice for her to get a win."

On hand with Shillelagh in Australia, co-trainer Stephen Autridge, who prepares the mare with Jamie Richards, was thrilled with the effort.

“She was flying,” Autridge said.

“The winners were coming off the fence and most of them had been handy, but she got back to last and for awhile I thought Damien (Oliver) was going to take the shortcut. But he came through the middle, pushed out and got the run all in the last two-hundred metres and she's got there.

“The way she won, we'll have no trouble going a mile next time.  She's pulled up good, has got a black eye but she'll be fine.

“She's loving the place (Melbourne), will go ahead and she'll be going again on the 12^th of October."

The race: $150,000 Ladies Day Vase (Gr. 3, 1600m).

Autridge recapped on a few frustrations leading up to the win.

“Her first start, we went to Sandown, and they called the race meeting off before her race, and then we went to Caulfield and she didn't get a run, and yesterday was just about the same until the last two-hundred (metres)."

Shillelagh also became the last leg of a treble of winners on the day for Te Akau, a treble that could be history making for a stable to have three winners in three countries in one day.

“It was probably one of the biggest thrills I can remember having in racing,” said David Ellis, Te Akau principal.

“We started off at two o'clock in the morning with a Darci Brahma horse (Distinctive Darci) winning in Singapore, which was his third win in a row, and then I saw a really good Guineas' Trial if ever I've seen one in Hall of Fame. It's a race we've won many times. We won it last year with Special Memories, and then Shillelagh won.

“Shillelagh has been looked after by one of the best horsewomen in the world, in Kerry Jones. She's absolutely dedicated and committed and she's done a fabulous job with Shillelagh, and after the bad luck we had with Xtravagant, it was just so good for the team to get a win in Australia.

“It finished what was a remarkable day, and Christopher and Susannah Grace have been great friends of Karyn and mine.  Christopher is a very successful farmer and they both just love their racing.

“The Grace family has been racing horses in New Zealand for such a long time, and we've got Shillelagh's full sister (Grazia) in the stable and she is coming to hand really well.

“So, it was a fabulous day. We had Steve (Autridge) in Melbourne, Jamie (Richards) at Riccarton, Brad Taylor looking after everything at Hawkes Bay, and of course Mark (Walker) in Singapore."

“It was a great day for all our owners, and we're just waiting for the tracks to firm and the team will really start firing,” Ellis said.

Shillelagh was strapped by Kerry Jones.

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