Amazing Xtravagant Caps Superb Start

The Informant reports:

New Zealand 2000 Guineas glory has become almost commonplace for Te Akau Racing in the last decade and a half but the astonishing victory by Xtravagant last Saturday was something very different.

The Pentire colt followed in the footsteps of King's Chapel, Darci Brahma, Tell A Tale and Rock ‘N' Pop to become the fifth horse in 12 years to carry the tangerine colours of Te Akau to victory in the Riccarton classic.

But Xtravagant's jaw-dropping performance on Saturday was in a world of its own. Under minimal urging from stable rider Matt Cameron, the striking colt ran his rivals into the ground and raced into the Riccarton record books.

Dwarfing even Darci Brahma's four-length winning margin in 2005, Xtravagant romped to victory by a staggering eight and a half lengths. His time of 1:33.59 was the fastest in the 43-year history of the prestigious race.

Xtravagant's 2000 Guineas tour de force came just a few months after the establishment of a new training partnership at the helm of the Te Akau operation, Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards. The new trainers had already made a flying start, but Xtravagant took them to a whole new level.

It was Autridge's first training success in the 2000 Guineas, having won it as a jockey aboard Altitude in 1981. He had previously trained two third placegetters in the race. In 2003 he won the 1000 Guineas with the exceptional and ill-fated filly Taatletail, who he trained in partnership with Graeme Rogerson.

For the 26-year-old Richards, Saturday's scintillating win was a wonderful first taste of Group One glory.

“It was a dream result really,” he told The Informant. “I was just thrilled to be part of the whole thing, especially with such an exciting colt.

“I have to give massive thanks to David (Ellis) and Mark (Walker), who have supported me and given me this opportunity to train these horses in partnership with Stephen. It's been amazing.”

This was the perfect race to provide Richards with his first Group One victory. South Island born and raised, Richards is a son of the jockey-turned-trainer Paul Richards who was a hugely popular member of the South Island racing community for several decades up until his move to the North Island late last year.

Paul Richards is now training at Byerley Park in Karaka in partnership with fellow former southerners Peter and Dawn Williams, but another part of the family that has remained in the south was on hand to support the younger Richards on Saturday.

“My granddad and grandma (Garry and Lorraine McDonnell) were there and watched the race with me on Saturday,” the young trainer said. “They owned Random Chance, who won the race 30 years ago. It was a big buzz to have them there and we were all just rapt with the result.”

Autridge and Richards now top the trainers' premiership for the 2015-16 season with 27 winners from just 140 starters and prize-money of $617,935.

“We couldn't have asked for a better way to start,” Richards said. “We've got a lot of great staff at Te Akau, they all get out of bed early each morning and work really hard. It's a huge team effort.

“We put a lot of thought and planning into where we want to go with every one of our horses, even the ones with only average ability, to find the best possible chance of winning races. It's been so satisfying to achieve so much success this season.”

To some extent Richards has been thrown in at the deep end, co-training a formidable stable of 115 horses including a number of high-priced yearling purchases. But he has relished the challenge.

“It's a challenge and there's a bit of pressure, but you have to expect that with these sorts of positions,” said Richards, whose CV includes the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's Sunline Scholarship to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.

“What's really helped me is having Stephen there to talk to at any time, he's taught me a lot. The support of David and Mark has also been really valuable. We're all working well together and I'm really enjoying it.”