Richards Shoots for Group 1 Clean Sweep

RaceForm's Richard Edmunds reports (subscribe today, it's an awesome publication) -

“Sword Of State was an impressive winner last start, and he's a horse who seems to be getting better as he gets deeper into his preparation.”

Sword Of State (pictured) beat home On The Bubbles by six and a half lengths in the Gr. 3 Waikato Stud Slipper at Matamata last start.

Having already secured a slice of New Zealand racing history on the opening day of the carnival, Jamie Richards and Te Akau Racing will return to Ellerslie on Saturday to attempt another unprecedented achievement.

Last Sunday's black-type treble with Need I Say More, Entriviere and Amarelinha took the tangerine team to 28 Group or Listed victories in New Zealand this season - a new all-time record, surpassing the previous mark of 25 set by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman in 2018-19.

With five wins on Derby Day in total, Te Akau continued their remarkable dominance of this season's showpiece race meetings at Ellerslie. Of the 36 races run across Boxing Day, New Year's Day, the Karaka Million meeting and Derby Day, the juggernaut stable won 16.

“It's great what the team has been able to achieve this season,” Richards said. “It's been a special few months, and hopefully it carries on for a bit longer yet.”

Now Richards is turning his attention to this Saturday's three Group Ones - the Sistema Stakes, Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes and Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup.

No stable has ever won all three on the same day. Richards himself has come the closest, completing the Sistema-Bonecrusher double in each of the last two seasons with Yourdeel and Melody Belle, then Cool Aza Beel and Avantage.

Super-talented two-year-olds Sword Of State and On The Bubbles (below) give Richards two massive chances in the Sistema, while Melody Belle and Avantage both return for another shot at the New Zealand Stakes. In A Twinkling will carry the stable's hopes in the Auckland Cup.

“We've had some great success at this meeting in the last couple of years, and we're excited to be heading back there this Saturday with good chances in all three races,” Richards said.

Richards has dominated the Sistema Stakes in recent seasons, winning it in four of the last five years with Heroic Valour (2016), Sword Of Osman (2018), Yourdeel (2019) and Cool Aza Beel (2020).

Sword Of State and On The Bubbles take clear top billing in the 2021 edition.

On The Bubbles was a highly impressive winner of all of his first three starts, including the Karaka Million over this course and distance. He tasted defeat for the first time in last month's Gr. 3 Waikato Stud Slipper at Matamata, where stablemate Sword Of State romped to a jaw-dropping victory by six and a half lengths.

“Sword Of State was an impressive winner last start, and he's a horse who seems to be getting better as he gets deeper into his preparation,” Richards said.

“Everything's going well with him. His work has been very good, and I'm happy with how his build-up has gone leading into this race. He's in great shape.”

On The Bubbles will try to follow in the footsteps of Cool Aza Beel, who won the Karaka Million and the Sistema Stakes, but in between times was upstaged by stablemate Need I Say More at Matamata.

“We've had a few favourites beaten in the Slipper at Matamata over the years, including two Karaka Million winners,” Richards said. “I'm not sure why that is, but we've been in the fortunate position of having talented stablemates who have stepped up to the mark.

“On The Bubbles has improved out of that race, which he probably needed to. He's been working nicely, and I think he'll appreciate getting back to Ellerslie on Saturday.”

Exceptional mares Melody Belle and Avantage (below) boast 21 Group One victories between them, with eight for Avantage and a New Zealand record-equalling 13 for Melody Belle. Bought by Te Akau principal David Ellis for a combined total of $267,500, together they have amassed more than $6 million in prize-money.

Melody Belle has a two-nil lead in their head-to-head battles, beating Avantage in stable quinellas in the Gr. 1 Windsor Park Plate and Livamol Classic in the spring.

However, Melody Belle heads into this race after a ninth in the Gr. 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes where nothing went right, while Avantage has put together four consecutive Group One victories in the Railway, Telegraph, BCD Group Sprint and WFA Classic.

“Melody Belle's done well since the Herbie Dyke,” Richards said. “She had a good, strong trial win at Rotorua and has been going nicely in her work. She's looking good.

“Four consecutive Group One wins is an incredible achievement by Avantage. She's done a magnificent job and continues to raise the bar. She's very, very honest and never runs a bad race. She's doing everything right in her work, and she should be very competitive again.”

While the two-year-olds and the superstar mares will dominate attention on Saturday, Richards has warned punters not to overlook In A Twinkling (below) in the Auckland Cup.

“He was a little bit disappointing in the Avondale Cup last start, but he's trained particularly well since then,” he said. “He gets in better at the weights this week and I'm confident he'll run the distance out.”

Richards will saddle four other runners at Ellerslie on Saturday, including the last-start Gr. 3 City of Auckland Cup winner Savy Yong Blonk in the Royal Descent Stakes.

The Savabeel mare won the same race at this meeting last year, before the Covid-19 lockdown brought an early end to her season.

“She's had a freshen-up since New Year's Day, and she's done well for it,” Richards said.

“We're following a similar path to what we had in mind last year, when she won this race in her first start since placing in the City of Auckland Cup. We'll hopefully go from this into the Awapuni Gold Cup and then the Travis Stakes.

“She worked well this (Tuesday) morning in company with Levante, who is obviously going to be the horse to beat on Saturday. But our mare is going very well and it won't surprise me if she figures in the finish.”