Ready to Shine

With his first four starts yielding three wins and a second, Rise ‘n' Shine (3 g Zabeel - Kay's Awake, by Towkay) flies the Te Akau flag on Friday night in the $500,000 Singapore Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) at Kranji.

After finishing second in each of his three trials in New Zealand, under the tutelage of Jason Bridgman at Matamata, he was thought an ideal Singapore candidate and joined the ranks of Te Akau trainer Mark Walker in Singapore in October last year.

Showing a trademark turn of foot utilized to great effect by his impressive winning dam Kay's Awake, Rise ‘n' Shine was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $130,000 at the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Monovale Farm.  After only three months of racing he has already earned $120,000 for his owners in the Te Akau Rise ‘n' Shine Syndicate (Mgr DC Ellis).

A year earlier at the sales, David had gone to $150,000 in order to buy Rise 'n' Shine's full brother Alert (4 g Zabeel - Kay's Awake) from the same draft and it was on the reputation and early promise shown by Alert that he secured Rise ‘n' Shine.

An impressive trial winner at two, Alert returned as a three-year-old to come from well off the pace for a big win over a mile at Ellerslie. After finishing second in two lead up races he ran home from the rear for seventh to Habibi (Ekraar) in the NZ Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) but following a spell he injured a tendon after winning a trial in readiness for his spring campaign. Given patient handling since, Alert has made sound progress towards a return to racing later this year.

While trainer Mark Walker is under no illusions as to the enormity of the task for Rise ‘n' Shine and his rivals to beat race favourite War Affair (O'Reilly) in the Guineas, he is optimistic of a good showing from barrier three in the hands of premiership leading rider Manuel Nunes.

“He's done a great job so far, all in his first racing preparation,” says Mark, of Rise ‘n' Shine.

“But obviously we know how good War Affair is and he (Rise ‘n' Shine) would have to improve a fair bit on his last start win to beat him.  He deserves his chance in the field and luck always plays its part in racing. War Affair would need bad luck and we would need good luck to beat him, basically.

“If you took War Affair out, then he would be up to the others well and truly, and it would be an even field between three or four of them. But I think our horse will run really well."

Ironically, War Affair, the Champion Two-Year-Old in Singapore, was also purchased by David Ellis for $70,000 at the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Trelawney Stud. He was educated through Te Akau in New Zealand before transferring to Singapore, where he is now the winner of eight from eleven starts and $960,000 in prize money.

The Group 1 Singapore Guineas will be televised on Trackside at 1:35am on Saturday morning.  Good luck to the ownership team, many of whom are travelling to Singapore today to cheer their star on!