Double Double No Trouble
31 August, 2015
It was an exciting Saturday that saw Te Akau NZ trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards notch up an impressive winning double at Ruakaka with Scrutinize and Love Triangle - both horses bought by David Ellis from Karaka.
However Te Akau's penchant for winning doubles was set to continue 24 hours later as our Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker replicated that success with two more horses bought by David from Karaka - Our River Dancer and Fine Choice!
Our River Dancer was bought by David for $100,000 from the draft of Curraghmore Stud at the 2012 Premier Sale and is raced by Fortuna Syndicators - it was terrific to see his maiden win come by such an emphatic 5.3 length margin!
Our second Singapore winner was a gritty customer called Fine Choice (main picture) - bought by David and Jamie from the 2014 South Island Sale (Berkley Stud draft). There is so much to like about the son of Coats Choice whose owners smartly agreed to send him to Singapore unraced, after a very good trial's win. In his five starts, the 3YO who cost just $21,000 has earned in excess of $60,000!
Here's what the Singapore Turf Club had to say on his runaway win ...
Apprentice jockey Mohd Firdaus rang up his first winner for leading trainer Mark Walker after he turned in a smart ride to get Fine Choice to open his account on Sunday.
With Fine Choice's regular partner Manoel Nunes serving a suspension, trainer Patrick Shaw's apprentice was given the nod for the steering job aboard the Coats Choice three-year-old in the $65,000 Victoria Peak Stakes, an Initiation race over 1000m - and he sure lived up to the trust placed in him by the Kiwi handler and the connections, the Te Akau Racing Stable.
“I've ridden a fair bit for Mr Walker but this is the first time I ride a winner for him. I'm very happy he gave me a very good ride,†said the Johor Bahru rider.
"I've never ridden him in trackwork but he's a very nice horse, very relaxed. His shoe got loose on the way to the barriers but the farriers did a good job to shoe him back. He didn't jump that well, but I was able to get a good position behind the favourite (Lucky Command) from the start and all I did was follow him until the home turn.
“Once I switched him out, he responded very well. I was actually quite surprised by his turn of foot.â€
With Walker not on hand, assistant-trainer Gus Clutterbuck did the honours at the winner's circle, delighted the yard was collecting a double after Our River Dancer ($13 favourite) opened the day's proceedings and Fine Choice ($14) saluted three events later, especially with rival trainer Michael Freedman breathing down their neck and having saluted earlier with Magnum.
“I'm enjoying this battle between Michael and us. It's good for the sport!†said the jovial Kiwi horseman.
“Fine Choice is a lovely little horse and the boy rode him very well. He was slowly away and was off the bit, but he didn't panic. When he took the gap at the top of the straight, I knew we had a good chance to win the race.â€
With that latest success, Walker has now notched 59 wins, two clear of Freedman, who saddled the $13 favourite and newcomer Lucky Command in that race.