Te Akau Avondale Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has five horses entered for the eleven race programme on Friday 8 May at Avondale. 

As on Thursday 7 May the conditions were: fine and Dead5, rail out 4 metres.

1.43 p.m. R6 6 Tatters (2 f Tavistock - Rattle) - Cameron Lammas; tracked up wide and found the line in good fashion for third in the Maiden 2YO 1200 metres on Heavy10 at Rotorua, with blinkers on for the first time, and the form has carried through with the two that finished in front of her producing notable efforts in a Listed race last Saturday at Te Rapa. Encouraging in her two starts to date, she will be looking for a drag into proceedings from a wide draw in the 2YO Fillies 1200 metres and in time appears destined to go considerably further - one of three in the race for Te Akau.

1.43 p.m. R6 11 Risque (2 f Darci Brahma - So Explicit) - Matt Cameron; showed her quality in winning a 600-metre trial, off the front, on April 14 at Te Awamutu, and now makes her debut. She should be able to secure a lovely trip from barrier four and has trained on nicely. Her dam So Explicit (Straight Strike) was a very capable juvenile, winning and stakes placed and finishing fourth in the Wakefield Stakes (Gr. 3, 1200m), and this filly certainly looks to have inherited ability. As an aside, her five time Group One winning sire Darci Brahma (Danehill) won on debut at Avondale.

1.43 p.m. R6 13 Stella Di Paco (2 f Paco Boy - Savabeel Star) - Anna Jones (a2); found the Heav10 footing beyond her in the Maiden 2YO 1200 metres at Rotorua, and she should appreciate both the likelihood of better going and having blinkers on. Drawn barrier six, she also has the benefit of a two-kilo claim to carry 54.5kgs and while a horse bred to go further, she can produce an encouraging run.

4.03 p.m. R10 9 Tavis Star (3 f Tavistock - Megapins) - Michael Coleman; has thrived since producing a big effort to win the Maiden 3YO 1600 metres on Slow9 footing at Te Aroha, and comes off nine days into the Rating 65 1600 metres. Out of very good Wellington Cup (Gr. 2, 2400m) winning mare Megapins (Pins), from another talented mare in Instant Divorce (Fiesta Star), there is plenty to like about what she has done so far and what potentially lies ahead. She will require luck finding a spot from barrier eleven, but looks competitive if able to.

4.38 p.m. R11 3 Osmunda (4 m O'Reilly - Wyndam Special) - Matt Cameron; was nicely handled when closing late for third in the Rating 65 2000 metres on Easter Saturday at Hastings, and from barrier four, with the addition of blinkers, she appears ideally placed to threaten in the Rating 65 2100 metres at her fourth start back from a spell. She staged a big performance for second here on debut at her only course attempt and should go well providing the track holds together.