Amazing Karaka Million Hat-trick for Te Akau

The Informant reports:

Jamie Richards has been training only long enough to saddle up runners in three editions of the Karaka Million 2YO, yet tonight (Saturday) at Ellerslie he celebrated a hat-trick of wins in the juvenile dash for cash. 

Not only has he trained the winners Melody Belle, Avantage and now freakish filly Probabeel, but each year the result has simply got better. Last year Richards also saddled the runner-up Al Hasa and today he raised the bar even further with a trifecta.

Probabeel carried the colours of Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay to an incredible victory, from her wide draw covering more ground than any other runner yet still waltzing home by two and three-quarter lengths. Heading the chase after her was Aotea Lad, one of two runners in the colours of Richards' employer Te Akau, while another stablemate, Yourdeel, dead-heated for third with Appellant. 

“This is a huge buzz,” said Richards, looking like someone carrying the weight of the world on his slim shoulders. “A bit of a relief to be honest.” Quite.

Richards, who shared training duties with comparative veteran Stephen Autridge during the first two years of his tenure with Te Akau, manages one of the biggest teams in New Zealand racing. Today, for instance, he had runners at all three domestic meetings - Ellerslie, Trentham and Riccarton - and on a daily basis he is conducting a huge operation, albeit with a support network comprising many.

“This result isn't just about me, it's a massive team effort from the time David Ellis buys these horses right through to the staff at home and everything in between,” Richards added.

Last Tuesday morning Richards wasn't what could be described as a happy camper, having to accept that stable rider Opie Bosson would be prevented from trackwork duties for Probabeel and others with important engagements tonight by the pending birth of his and wife Emily's first child. 

Luckily Richards had other work riders to fill the breach, baby Max Bosson was safely delivered on Wednesday and tonight Bosson, who has a constant battle with his weight, fronted at Probabeel's book weight of 54.5kg. And just as he had done the previous two years on Melody Belle and Avantage, he came up with the ride of the night, staying cool under pressure when the Savabeel filly settled with just three runners behind her.

Once again he had the confidence factor going for him, garnered from wins in both lead-up races, and when he let her slide around the field and be poised to cut loose at the top of the straight, the response was electric.

Meanwhile nothing had gone right for race favourite Whiskey Neat, who was unable to capitalise on his inside draw by missing the kick and then forcing rider Leith Innes to make his run four-wide. Whiskey Neat raised his supporters' hopes when he hit the lead momentarily with 300 metres to run but he was quickly done with.

That left Aotea Lad and Yourdeel fighting for supremacy, but they had no answer to their stablemate's irresistible finishing power as she charged past and proceeded to one of the easiest wins in the 12-year history of the race.

“It's been an amazing week with the birth of Max. I am glad this is all over, it has been hard work wasting at the same time as well,” Bosson said.

“She is all class. What she is doing now as a two-year-old is just a bonus for what she's going to be as a three-year-old.”

Appellant put up a big effort for equal third, while Beauty Diva, the cheapest sales graduate in the race at a purchase price of $11,000, finished well to take the $25,000 stake for fifth.

Although Probabeel is owned by Brendan and Jo Lindsay, she was signed for at Karaka 12 months ago by David Ellis, who bid $380,000 to claim from the Waikato Stud draft. The Lindsays had also been in the bidding action and after being beaten by Ellis, took her off his hands afterwards.

“This is a dream come true and a great result for everyone,” said Brendan Lindsay. “For us it's the first time we've had a runner in the race so to get this win the day before we present our first draft from Cambridge Stud, it's great for her breeders Waikato Stud, and for David Ellis, Jamie Richards and the Te Akau team - what can you say?”

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