The Gold Cup Beckons

The Ascot Gold Cup (Gr. 1, 4023m) will be raced overnight (NZ time 3.20 a.m. Friday) in the U.K., with local eyes focussed on the Te Akau representative Torcedor (5 g Fastnet Rock - Magnolia Lane, by Sadler's Wells), a horse purchased as a yearling by Te Akau principal David Ellis.

A last start winner of the Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes (Gr. 3, 2800m) in April at Navan racecourse in Ireland, Torcedor carries the Te Akau colours for owners Sir Patrick Hogan, Sir Peter Vela, Mohammed Moussa, and Laurie Laxon.

Torcedor was Lot 1 at the 2013 Deauville Yearling Sales in France, knocked down to Ellis for 70,000 Euro (NZ$115,000). His four wins to date earning NZ$238,434.

The Ascot Gold Cup, the most prestigious race for staying horses in Britain, is regarded as the highlight of the five consecutive days racing during the carnival, and a race won by British superstar Yeats (Sadler's Wells) on four consecutive occasions.

And, if breeding has anything to do with the outcome then surely Torcedor will be right in calculations, as his dam, Magnolia Lane, is a sister to Yeats.

Earlier today, Ellis was interviewed about the race on Trackside by Jason Tan:

“It's certainly exciting to have a horse in the most prestigious staying race in Europe,” Ellis said.

In a season that has seen Te Akau win races in Melbourne, Brisbane Sydney, Singapore, Ireland, and New Zealand, including winners of both one-million dollar races at home [Karaka Million - Melody Belle, NZ Derby - Gingernuts], trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards sit third in the premiership and lead the way in prize money earned for owners.

“It's been a fantastic season and it's very satisfying to see horses that we've bought at the sales perform at the elite level,” Ellis said.

“I was there to see Yeats win his fourth Ascot Gold Cup. It was an unbelievable occasion and the greatest performance I have ever witnessed on a racecourse. There has only been one horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times (Makybe Diva) and this race is the equivalent of the Melbourne Cup in Europe.

“A year or two after that, I went to a sale on the Gold Coast and got pneumonia and finished up in hospital. When I came out of that, I thought there is one thing I'd always wanted to do and that was to go to Europe and try and buy a horse to run in the English Derby. So, I went to the Deauville sale and bought this Fastnet Rock colt.

“Torcedor didn't run in the Derby, but he did win at black type level as a three-year-old. He then got a bad virus as four-year-old. We changed stables with him at the start of this season in Europe, and he's been in great form winning both his starts. He won his last start, the Group Three, actually
beating the hot favourite (Order of St George) for the Gold Cup, so he's in really good form.”

Torcedor had won first up by 5 ½ lengths earlier in April over 2800 metres at Leopardstown racecourse, and was quite magnificent in his finishing burst, given the uphill finish on the 700-metre straight, to impressively beat multiple Group One winner Order of St George (Galileo) by 1 ½ lengths in the Vintage Crop. Irish jockey Colm O'Donoghue has been aboard on both occasions and retains the ride for trainer Jessica Harrington.

“Jessica has been on fire with her team, having won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious jumping races in the world, with her first runner (Sizing John) and the media claimed her a ‘genius', and the Irish Grand National, at Fairyhouse, with Our Duke,” Ellis said.

“She has set Torcedor for this race. Interestingly, he hasn't run for eight weeks, something you wouldn't see in this part of the world, and it would be a great training performance if he sees out the distance. They seem to be able to do it in Europe, because of the really good training tracks they've got, where they can gallop long distances uphill.

“Jessica planned to give him a run three weeks ago, but the tracks were like concrete and she thought while the horse could get away with one run on a firm track - which it is, there's a heat wave in Europe, and Karyn (Fenton-Elis), who is over there, said that it's incredibly hot - she didn't want to run the risk of jarring him up before the race.”

In fixed odds betting, available on the New Zealand TAB, Order of St George is $1.90 to defend his title in the Gold Cup, where the winning purse is nearly NZ$400,000, while Torcedor has drifted from 13 to 1 to $20 & $5.00.

“I think the favourite (Order of St George) is a really classy horse,” Ellis said. “He followed his win in the race last year with a third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, so he's obviously a top-class horse and Torcedor hasn't got to that level yet. But, Jessica is really happy with the way he is working and just to have a runner is an enormous thrill for us all.

“He could be competitive in a Melbourne Cup, but we haven't discussed that option as yet. We wanted to get this race out of the way, first, and then we can make some long-term plans for the horse.”

Ellis also reflected on what has been a very successful season for Te Akau, globally, and discussed what lies ahead for the new season.

“All the staff has worked incredibly hard to make it happen and the horses have performed exceedingly well,” Ellis said. “I couldn't be more proud to lead a team that has accomplished what they have this season and I'm really looking forward to us doing it all again.

“All the young horses are back in work now and we've got some really exciting rising two-year-olds that have been educated and some had jump outs this morning.

“But it's a quiet time of year for Te Akau and we'll be looking to have horses at the Te Teko trials in early August, so it's nice to have something to fill the gap, like Royal Ascot, which is really a Melbourne Cup type carnival, racing everyday for five days, with royalty there - the Queen goes to each day - it's an unbelievable occasion where people spend a fortune dressing up. There are terrific car park parties and it's wonderful to be involved.”

Of course it's a different story in Singapore where Te Akau's Mark Walker is dominating the Trainers' Premiership with 10 wins over the place of seven days last week.