Six in Six - Two at Timaru

Another great day in the South - following four wins on Saturday, Te Akau's senior team member Dan Miller oversaw two further winners today - that's six in the past six days ...

Here's is the first of today's two from Timaru ...

Continuing a run for the southern based Te Akau team, following four winners last Saturday at Riccarton, Lady Amadeus (4 m Medaglia d'Oro - Rialto Bridge, by Darshaan) got the day off to a flying start with an accomplished victory in the $10,000 L. J. Hooker Group Geraldine Maiden 1200 metres on Friday 13 October at Timaru.

Having her first start in the South Island, the win by Lady Amadeus provided jockey Samantha Collett with her 500th career win - a catch ride after engaged rider Opie Bosson was unable to make the weight.

Collett showed a good deal of both poise and patience, when beginning well to trail from barrier two she was held up before clearing a pocket at a timely moment in the straight and Lady Amadeus quickened appreciably over the concluding stages to win stylishly.

Lady Amadeus closed off as race favourite, despite resuming from a spell without having had a trial, paying $2.80 & $1.25 fixed odds on the NZ TAB. She ran the 1200 metres in 1:11.6, on footing rated Dead6, and won by one and quarter lengths.

Bred and owned by Kevin Hickman (Valachi Downs), Lady Amadeus had ended her previous campaign in April after a second and two thirds and broke through at her fifth start.

“She brought good form from the North Island,” said stable foreman Daniel Miller, who prior to the race suggested the mare, ‘fresh-up, could show a bit of dash and be a chance of running in the first couple'.

Post race, Miller said: “We've been pretty happy with her in the last few days, her coat is coming out and she is pretty perky.

“She showed a nice turn of foot over the last couple of hundred metres, so, hopefully, she should go on with it.

“Our goal with the horses we bring down here is to get them into some nice races during cup week and I'm sure Jamie (Richards) and Steve (Autridge) will find something for her there.”

Te Akau principal David Ellis has purchased yearlings from Valachi Downs at the Karaka sales and Te Akau has also trained winners for them in both New Zealand and Singapore.

“Kevin (Hickman) is one of our best breeders in New Zealand,” Ellis said. “He specializes in genetics and has a top-class general manager in Jonathan Scully, who does an enormously good job and they're a great team. They have some very good horses around them and we're always confident when their (gold) colours go out.

“Isn't Dan (Miller) doing a great job with the horses down south?” added Ellis. “He's a great judge and he's just thriving in the role.”

Having gained her 500th win, Samantha Collett said: “I've had great support from Valachi and the (Te Akau) team and Opie's loss is my gain, in that respect, but that's how racing goes and I was very thankful to get the opportunity and make the most of it.”

Ellis said: “Sam (Collett) was a former Te Akau apprentice and it was very exciting to see her get her 500th win on a Te Akau trained horse.

“The one thing I love seeing in racing is the people that really want to work hard, get the results. Sam has always been a very hard worker and it's paying off. She gets out of bed and works. It's easy, she goes to all the meetings, never too tired, and it's marvellous to see.

“She does a lot of riding for Valachi and you can see why: she's light and gives all the horses their best possible chance.  She's always had nice balance -  she'll go to the top here in New Zealand.

“Sam is always happy and has a smile on her face. It makes people around her happy and feeling good, and she's been like since the day she started her apprenticeship.

“What I loved about her as an apprentice was that she was great at teaching young horses something, brilliant at teaching them in the barrier and we had a fantastic run with our two-year-olds when she was here. They were so well educated. She spent a lot of time getting them on the right leg and nothing was ever a problem.”

Lady Amadeus was the first in double for the Valachi Downs/Te Akau Racing combination, and Valachi general manager Jonathan Scully was thrilled with the results.

“Stephen (Autridge) said he reckoned Lady Amadeus can win some black type while she's in the South Island, and as breeders that's what we like to hear,” he said.

“She's a filly that I showed to David (Ellis) three years ago and told him she was one of my picks of the fillies that year, with She's Brings Joy (subsequent Royal Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m) winner). He bought two or three horses off us that next yearling season and he asked ‘can I have that filly to train, please?' and I said ‘you sure can, DC'.

“Everyone involved has been patient with her and she now looks like she did when was a weanling, meaning when they're a nice horse, they're a nice horse, but they go through growth stages and she's now balanced up and looking good again. She's taken a fair while to mature and I think we're there now.

“Kevin (Hickman) is on course with his brothers Tony and Ray, and his good mate Snow, so the four of them have gone on a road trip together.  Hopefully it will be a Valachi story all-round for Te Akau: trained Lady Amadeus and brought the half-brother to Vespa off us at the sales (and it was!! Zavistic won as well- Ed).

“It's worked out perfectly that Sam (Collett) was able to get her 500th winner on a Valachi horse. She's our stable jockey, as such, retained rider, and it was special the way it worked out.”

Lady Amadeus was strapped by Meg Lambert.