Te Akau BLACK TYPE Saturday Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has five horses racing on Saturday: Ellerslie (Derby Day), Flemington, and Randwick.

Ellerslie:

Weather: Showery, track: Good3, rail: true

4.05 p.m. R7 3 Gris Dame (3 f Reliable Man - Double Babu) - Johnathan Parkes; did well to finish fourth on unsuitable heavy going in the Rating 70 1600 metres on 11 February at Pukekohe, as a lead-up to the $70,000 McKee Family Sunline Vase (Gr. 3, 2100m). She ran terrific races for third and fifth respectively in the Eight Carat Classic (Gr. 2, 1600m) and Royal Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m) here during the Christmas carnival and ideally drawn (4) to rate an each way chance. Fixed odds: $8.20 & $2.50.

4.40 p.m. R8 6 Heroic Valour (4 h Fastnet Rock - Myrrh) - Michael McNab; scratched off rain-affected footing on two recent occasions, he trialled well for second on 15 February at Taupo, and ideally drawn (2) in the $100,000 Darley Stallions Plate (Gr. 3, 1200m). Won brilliantly by stable-mate Splurge (Savabeel) last year, his four performances this time in have been very good and he includes a group one victory amongst terrific course form. Fixed odds: $4.00 & $1.40.

5.20 p.m. R9 6 Mongolianconqueror (3 g Ocean Park - Queen Rania) - Michael McNab; has drawn perfectly (2) in the $1m Vodafone New Zealand Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m), a race and distance that trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards always believed he was destined for. He followed back-to-back wins with a stylish third here in the 3YO 1500 metres on 14 January, ran the fastest last 600m (33.7) to just miss winning the Waikato Guineas (Gr. 2, 2000m) on 6 February at Te Rapa, and no detraction should be taken from his recent effort here in the Avondale Guineas (Gr. 2, 2100m) when getting well back on genuinely slow footing. Fixed odds: $12.00 & $4.00.

Royal Randwick:

Weather: fine, track: Soft5, rail: out 3 metres

6.10 p.m. (NZ time) R7 3 Melody Belle (3 f Commands - Meleka Belle) - Hugh Bowman; returned to her best with an impressive win on 27 January in the Mongolian Khan Trophy (Gr. 3, 1200m) at Ellerslie, and finished fifth here the Light Fingers Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on 17 February: Across to race one off the rail in eighth, six lengths 600m, she was left a touch flat-footed on straightening but mustered well in tight quarters and found the line solidly. Drawn barrier nine of 11 in the $500,000 Surround Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m) adds to the task, but offset by increasing distance, give in the ground, the rider engagement, and a touch of Irish should enable her to prove competitive in a great race. Fixed odds: $11.00 & $2.90.

Flemington:

Weather: fine, track: Good4, rail: true

6.30 p.m. (NZ time) R7 3 Embellish (3 c Savabeel - Bling) - Opie Bosson; finished sixth in the C. S. Hayes Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m) here on 17 February: Handily placed on a genuine tempo, he held his position, found the line solidly and was strong after the post. Drawn barrier nine of 16 in the $1m Australian Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m), getting back to a mile is beneficial for the colt that provided Te Akau with their sixth 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) in November at Riccarton. Facing four of the five that finished ahead of him last time creates no illusions, but extra time to settle in, reports of working well, and his obvious class can make him competitive. Fixed odds: $19.00 & $5.00.

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