Extraordinary Xtravagant - Group 1 Glory

The second of Te Akau Racing's New Zealand wins on Saturday was a simply stunning demolition as Xtravagant turned heads across the land.

Cruising to an 8.5 length win in the $400,000 Group 1 Sothys NZ 2000 Guineas - in the fastest time ever recorded in that race - he left everyone speechless.

Xtravagant became Te Akau's fifth Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas' winner in the past 12 years - to add to the stable's three Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas' victories.

Another Group 1 horse bought by David - another Group 1 win for co-trainer Stephen Autridge, the first Group 1 win for co-trainer Jamie Richards and the first Group 1 in Te Akau colours for champion jockey Matt Cameron - less than 48 hours after Pam Gerard's father passed away - simply a fairytale!

With possibly more riding on him than any other horse in the race, three-year-old colt Xtravagant (Pentire - Axiom, by Zabeel) turned the $400,000 Sothys 43^rd New Zealand 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) into a procession on Saturday at Riccarton, when winning by an extraordinary eight and a half lengths.

The brother to Mapperley Stud stallion He's Remarkable, himself a runner-up in the 2000 Guineas and subsequently denied Group one victory by relegation, Xtravagant produced a stellar result for his owners: The 2014 Te Akau Breeding Syndicate, jockey Matt Cameron, purchaser David Ellis, breeder Rich Hill Stud, the Te Akau team, and New Zealand racing at large.

Xtravagant flew out from barrier thirteen to cross and lead, under Cameron. He flowed along on the bridle at a genuine clip, travelled best when under a hold on straightening and simply charged away to win by an ever-widening margin.

He ran the mile in a staggering 1:33.59, last 600m in 33.04, to establish a new race record.

From winning his only start as a two-year-old by seven and a quarter lengths at Hastings, to scoring untouched by two and a quarter lengths a fortnight ago at Trentham, at only his fourth start, it was clear which horse the punters wanted despite being a drifter in the market from $3.50 to $4.20.

A jubilant David Ellis said: “It's a huge thrill and a great team effort. Kerry Jones has ridden the colt at home, and Daniel Miller has travelled with him and ridden him here, and we have all worked really hard to have this colt ready to win here today.

“Jamie (Richards) has been done here with him and every day he just keeps improving. Pam (Gerard) has been here for two months doing an outstanding job and it's a total team effort and I'm very proud of them, and wasn't he brilliantly ridden by Matt Cameron?

“He drew one from the outside and he was soon on the fence in front and it was a great ride - and he's a really good horse.

“We love racing down here (Riccarton) and we love the Group Ones,” said Ellis. “We bought this horse at New Zealand Bloodstock, at the Premier sale, and you'll hear a lot more from him."

The win by Xtravagant further extended the lead for trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richard in the premiership to 26, their third stakes' success for the season, while Mark Walker sits on 75 wins and leads the premiership by nine with seven weeks of the season remaining in Singapore.

While Rock ‘n' Pop (Fastnet Rock) gave jockey Jamie Bullard an armchair ride to win the 2000 Guineas in 2011 for Te Akau, Tell A Tale (Tale of the Cat) flew home to win the $1m version in 2008, Darci Brahma (Danehill) won by four lengths in 2005, and King's Chapel (King of Kings) scored easily by a couple of lengths in 2003, but few could argue that of the Te Akau 2000 Guineas winners there were few with more wow factor than Xtravagant.

Ellis purchased Xtravagant as a yearling for $375,000 at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, from the draft of Rich Hill Stud, and said at the time: “The head groom from Rich Hill told me this is the nicest colt he's ever been involved in preparing for the sale, and that New Zealand Bloodstock Chairman Joe Walls was also very taken with the colt”.

Xtravagant is from an unraced Zabeel (Sir Tristram) mare and his grand-dam is multiple stakes performer Arletty (Centaine). She won eight of her twenty-nine starts, including the Wilkinson Mile (Gr. 3, 1600m) and Ra Ora Stakes (Gr. 3, 2000m) at Ellerslie, the Villiers Stakes (Gr. 2, 1600m) at Randwick, and the Queen of the Turf (Gr. 2, 1500m) at Rosehill.

The colt has an uncluttered pedigree, inbred only to Northern Dancer on both the sire and dam side, and while his future on the race track holds immense potential his career as a stallion is already assured.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz