Some Saturday Headlines

The Otago Daily Times reports:

Star New Zealand galloper Te Akau Shark will test the Australian waters when he starts in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick today.

The Jamie Richards-trained galloper is set to start favourite for his first Australian start in the 1400m feature.

Te Akau Shark's Tramway Stakes tilt will start a big 24 hours for part-owner Paul Gallen.

Gallen will play the last regular-season match of his 19-year career tomorrow in a game the Cronulla Sharks must win to make the NRL finals against the West Tigers.

Richards reported Te Akau Shark had settled in well after arriving in Sydney.

"He has travelled over in good order and he's worked up well. We are here to do our best," Richards said. "He's doing well in himself, is bright and happy and his coat has come on since he has been here."

Te Akau Shark will be ridden by James McDonald and the expat Kiwi was impressed with how he worked on Tuesday morning.

"He's a pretty casual character. He floated around the course proper, really," McDonald said. "I couldn't fault him at this stage."

Te Akau Shark is having his first start on a right-handed track but McDonald cannot see it being a problem.

"He's a pretty professional sort of horse. He swapped and changed legs very easily and was very balanced around the bends so I can't see it being an issue."

Te Akau moved into $2.50 win odds with Australian bookmakers following the scratching of his main rival, perennial bridesmaid Tom Melbourne, earlier this week.

The Australian reports:

Libertini has a stride to rival the great sprinter-milers and has any race her connections desire to tackle at her mercy.

Nature Strip is a brute of a specimen who is set to become the best sprinter in the southern hemisphere.

Te Akau Shark is the best horse New Zealand trainer Jamie Richards has ever put a saddle on.

Part-owned by Paul Gallen, the Cronulla Sharks enforcer, Te Akau Shark could be just as menacing to his rivals, initially in Sydney and later in Melbourne.

Richards has only held a licence for four years. That's no slight on the young man, who controls a stunning team of horses.

If he stays sound, Te Akau Shark can win the Epsom Handicap and get his chance in the Cox Plate. He makes his Australian debut on Saturday in the Tramway Stakes and promises to be the most anticipated runner at Randwick.

Racenet.com reports:

Trainer Jamie Richards rates Te Akau Shark among the best he's ever had and the Kiwi horseman is keen to see his rising star prove exactly why this spring, starting in Saturday's Group II Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

Te Akau Shark has arrived in Australia with plenty of hype after winning five of his first seven career starts, including the Group II Couplands Bakeries by six lengths at Riccarton last November.

The son of Rip Van Wrinkle was defeated in his last outing when runner-up in the Group II Foxbridge Plate (1200m) but still crossed the ditch as $5 outright favourite with the TAB Tfor next month's Epsom Handicap.

Saturday's Tramway Stakes is set to provide the Kiwi raider with a launching pad into the Group I at Randwick on October 5.

“He has got to step up to another level coming over to Australia and competing against the big boys but we are happy with him and we think he can be competitive,” Richards said.

“We think he is right up there with some of the best horses we have had. We will let the horse do the talking and find out on Saturday.

“He has settled in well over here.”

Te Akau Shark has been in Australia for nine days now and Richards says he's settled in well to his new surroundings.

The five-year-old heads into the Tramway second-up after surging home from the second half of the field to finish runner-up to Endless Drama in the Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa on August 17.

Richards is confident Te Akau Shark will take another step forward on the weekend where he is the $2.80 favourite with TAB.com.au to salute.

“He is forward enough and ready to run well,” Richards said.

“We obviously want to see him run in top three to give us a bit of confidence to crack on towards the Epsom. The plan is to go into the Tramway and then a month into the Epsom. He enjoys his races being spaced so that's how we are going to handle him.

“Every possibility we could head towards the Cox Plate as long as he is sound and happy but we will be guided by his soundness and found.”

Te Akau Shark is a $15 chance in the Cox Plate.

Sydney premiership-winning jockey James McDonald will pilot Te Akau Shark and he also has the ride on stablemate Probabeel in the Group II Darley Furious Stakes (1200m).

The Savabeel filly is first-up from a spell and is having her first run since finishing fifth in the Group I Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) on day one of The Championships.

Richards has the Karaka Million winner on a Princess Series path towards the Flight Stakes and Saturday is her first step towards the Group I.

Probabeel is a $26 hope with TAB.com.au on the weekend.

“She is going well but is probably going to find the 1200m a bit sharp against the likes of Libertini but we are happy with her,” Richards said.

“When she gets up to 1400m and a mile she is going to be very competitive.

“I guess she sort of took a fair while to come out of the winter in New Zealand and has been pretty backward in her coat but she is really starting to brighten up now with a bit of sun on her back.

“We are happy with how it's all going.”

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