Riccarton Treble - Cote De Beaune Brilliant

Make that a hat-trick, after Cote de Beaune (5 g Burgundy – Lucrative, by Pyrus) won the $17,000 Vale Lorraine Anderton $17,000 Rating 75 1200 metres on 24 August at Riccarton. 

After winning earlier on the programme with Navalha (Sebring) and Sorcha (Burgundy), it was fitting that Cote de Beaune cemented a hat-trick for the newly formed training partnership of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, after registering their first win together at his previous start in the Rating 65 970 metres on 2 August at Cambridge (poly-track).

Cote de Beaune has now provided the first and eighth win this season (2023/24), following a record-breaking 203 wins and $8.25 million in domestic prize money in 2022/23.

Having shown good acceleration fresh-up, Cote de Beaune emulated the feat under Champion Jockey Michael McNab who rode each of the three stable winners.

Similar to his ride aboard Navalha, when coming off a genuine pace, McNab was content to sit pat as a quick tempo ensued, but from fifth and five lengths astern at the 600m Cote de Beaune gobbled them up quickly in the straight and raced clear to win as he liked by four lengths. 

Reflective of the pace, he ran 1200 metres on the poly-track in 1:08.8 and remained all the rage in betting to return $1.80 & $1.30 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“It’s really good to see him string two (wins) together, after having an indifferent season prior, but I’m a firm believer in getting horses to try and grow in confidence, which he did following his resuming win, and that confidence and a change of environment in the South Island and the horse is back to his best,” Walker said. 

“Michael (McNab) summed up the speed of the race perfectly, as he did all day, and given what he did earlier in his career I can’t see why Cote de Beaune won’t continue to go on with it.”

Bred by Te Akau Stud and Group One Developments, and raced by the Te Akau Grand Cru Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), Cote de Beaune won three of five starts as a three-year-old when ending his first campaign in the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 3, 1200m), and has now won five of 15. 

“We’ve had a couple bred at the stud win today, with Sorcha and Cote de Beaune, and both by Burgundy, who we bought as a yearling, probably the fastest horse we’ve ever trained at Te Akau, and he won five stakes' races before proving a success at stud,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM. 

“Every time I see progeny of Burgundy win, I’m excited but also reminded of what a tragic loss to the industry he is, given his premature death. 

“It was a great start by our southern based horses, winning three on the seven race programme. We’ve had a lot of success at Riccarton, winning the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) seven times, and the 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) six times, and we love supporting South Island racing.

“Mark’s training partner Sam Bergerson went down to oversee the team today at Riccarton. We’ve got Kendyll Lee and Ashley Handley based there - Ashley has looked after Avantage, Melody Belle, Probabeel and Te Akau Shark, for us in Australia, and we’ll add to the 10 horses currently in the southern stable as we build into Spring racing and Cup Week in November.” 

“Also as race sponsor, it was very moving to win a race named in honour of a wonderful racing woman in Lorraine Anderson. All of us at Te Akau Racing would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Anderton family after the passing of Lorraine. She was the matriarch at White Robe Lodge, a great wife, mother and grandmother to Brian and the children and grandchildren, and will be greatly missed,” Ellis added.

Cote de Beaune was strapped by Kendyll Lee. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz - Ajay Berry