Sixth in Eleven Years

The Informant writes:

Hall Of Fame continued his increasingly impressive march towards the Gr. 1 Sothys New Zealand 2000 Guineas with a dominant five-length win in the Listed Zacinto Stakes at Riccarton this afternoon.

The $50,000 race has been won by subsequent 1000 or 2000 Guineas winners Risque, Platinum Witness and Atlante in the last three years, and Hall Of Fame's stunning performance this afternoon was a bold audition for similar classic honours next month.

Ridden by Matt Cameron, the Savabeel colt went straight to the lead in the five-horse field and was always travelling better than any of his rivals in the 1600-metre event. Cameron sat motionless in the saddle around the home turn as the other four riders vigorously urged their mounts on, and the only remaining question was the size of the winning margin.

Cameron finally turned Hall Of Fame loose at the 300-metre mark and he left his rivals behind with a brilliant burst. He romped home with spectacular ease from Stephenstihls, by Smart Missile, and the Jimmy Choux gelding Cobblertothestars. Hall Of Fame stopped the clock at 1:36.94.

“He's in good form and he seems to be improving all the time,” said Jamie Richards, who trains the colt in partnership with Stephen Autridge. “He saw out the 1600 metres strongly today, which we expected with his breeding - by Savabeel out of a Galileo mare - but it was good to see.

“He didn't beat many horses today, but he ran good time and the manner in which he did it was very impressive. He seems to be on track for the big one in a couple of weeks' time. He'll face a better field in the 2000 Guineas, but we couldn't be any happier with how he's progressing.”

It was the third win from six career starts for Hall Of Fame, who was bought by Te Akau Racing for $230,000 at last year's Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.

Today's win trimmed Hall Of Fame's 2000 Guineas odds from $8 to $6, sharing second favouritism with his Group One-winning stablemate Heroic Valour. Cameron will have to choose which of the Autridge and Richards-trained pair to ride in the prestigious classic on November 5.

It was the sixth time in the last 11 years that Te Akau-trained three-year-olds have won the race, which is registered as the Canterbury Stakes. The previous winners were Risque (2015), Burgundy (2011), King's Ransom (2009), Tell A Tale (2008) and Princess Coup (2006).