Te Akau Cambridge Trials' Report

Te Akau Racing trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards took horses to trial on Tuesday 9 January at Cambridge.

Weather: fine, Track: Dead5, rail: true
Heat 1 Open 1200 metres (1 ¼ lengths, ½ a head 1:13.0)

Scrutinize (5 g Savabeel - Legs) - Opie Bosson; began well to lead, trailed 800m, was clear to challenge at the 200m and rounded off strongly for third without being asked for a serious effort. It was a lovely trial.

Scrutinize looked good in his action and ready to resume racing after an injury layoff. An impressive winner on debut as a two-year-old and second in the Hawkes Bay Guineas (Gr. 2, 1400m) at three, owned by the Te Akau Scrutinize Syndicate, he was bought as a yearling by David Ellis for $200,000 at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, from the draft of Waikato Stud.  His dam, Legs (Pins - River Century, by Centaine), was Joint top filly on the 2005-06 NZ 3YO Free Handicaps. She recorded group one wins in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Kelt Capital Stakes (2040m), won the Eulogy Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) and finished second in the Desert Gold Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) in a career of five wins from twelve starts for stakes of $875,428.

Heat 2 Open 1200 metres (neck, length 1:11.4)

Imperium (6 g Encosta De Lago - Ethereal) - Nik Bakar; settled back on the inner, seven lengths 600m, and worked home in good staying fashion near the rail.

During a recent spring campaign at Riccarton, he followed a fresh-up win finishing second in the Metropolitan Trophy (Listed, 2500m) and fifth in the New Zealand Cup (Gr. 3, 3200m).

From the 2001 Melbourne Cup star mare Ethereal (Rhythm), a four-time group one winner who earned over $6 million in prize money, he was purchased by David Ellis for $425,000, from the draft of Pencarrow Stud, at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale.  Having continued to develop into a good quality staying horse, he is preparing for another cups' campaign.

Heat 4 Open 935 metres (long head, long head 55.2)

Gardenier (5 m Rip Van Winkle - Miss Montjeu) - Dennis Tan; steadied one off the rail in sixth, travelled on the bridle and widest rounding the home turn she tracked home as a mare looking for considerably further than a sprint trip.

A half-sister to recent stakes winning and group three placed stable-mate Chambord (Zabeel), she was purchased by David Ellis for $200,000 at the 2014 NZB Premier Yearling Sale, and although a mare that has taken time to physically mature she broke through in February and continues to furnish ahead of a new campaign.

Heat 8 2YO 800 metres (½ a length, 2 ¾ lengths 46.3)

Enduring Love (2 f Camelot - Holy Moly) - Opie Bosson (and main picture); worked across from a wide gate to find a nice position in fourth at the 600m, travelled well and found a kick when asked to finish third. It was a very encouraging first trial.

Owned by the Te Akau Queen of Camelot Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis), she was purchased by David Ellis for $250,000, from the draft of Coolmore Stud, at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale.  Both her dam Holy Moly (Holy Roman Emperor) and the grand-dam Clarissa (Zabeel) were impressive winners on home soil in New Zealand.

“She is a beautiful filly by the very exciting young stallion Camelot (Montjeu), who is probably one of the best racehorses that Coolmore has ever brought to Australia,” Ellis said.

“We kept a close eye on Holy Moly when she was racing here and obviously she was a very good filly herself.”

Holy Moly won on debut as a two-year-old and showed her inherent ability when successful in the Soliloquy Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Ellerslie, before placing in the Sarten Memorial (Gr. 3, 1400m) at Te Rapa. This is her first foal.

Heat 9 2YO 800 metres (head, ¾ lengths 47.3)

2 g Highly Recommended - Annabel Rose - Opie Bosson; was squeezed back from barrier one, improved near the rail from the 600m and ran home well without a lot of room for fourth. In his first trial, he pleased the rider.

Owned in Singapore, his sire Highly Recommended (Fastnet Rock) has made a significant impact, off an introductory service fee of $4,000, with his first crop for Berkley Stud in the South Island. So much so that he is transferring to stand at Cambridge Stud.  This horse is the first for her three-time winning dam Annabel Rose (Pins) and from the family of talented stakes winning sprinter O'Cartier (My Halo) - 16 wins.

Heat 10 2YO 800 metres (length, ¾ lengths 47.0)

2 f Rock ‘N' Pop - Kindred - Dennis Tan; was posted very wide from an outside gate, got back to the home turn and requiring further would benefit from the education.

Bred and owned by loyal stable client Ronald Lau, her dam Kindred (Pins) was trained by Te Akau to win three races and this is her second foal.

Her second dam, Kind Return (Zabeel), is a half-sister to Kindacross (Cape Cross) who was trained by Te Akau to win five times in his first season of racing, including the Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m), and finished second on the New Zealand 2YO Free Handicap.  Kind Return was a very good race mare, impressive winning from 1400m to 2000m through the summer months and showed her stamina when finishing fourth in the 2006 Auckland Cup (Gr. 1, 3200m).  Her sire, Rock ‘N' Pop (Fastnet Rock), purchased by David Ellis and trained by Te Akau, in 2011 became the fourth of six 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winners trained by Te Akau, for the Te Akau Rock ‘N' Pop Syndicate.

Heat 11 2YO 800 metres (½ a length, 1 ¾ lengths 46.8)

Bella Cassino (2 f Burgundy - Falaniella) - Michael McNab; pushed up from an inside gate to join the leaders approaching the home turn, she displayed a good kick to finish close up in fourth.

Having her first trial, she was bred by David Ellis & Karyn Fenton-Ellis (MNZM) and owned by them with good friends and clients Glenn and Cathie Holmes, and Barry and Shona Old.  The first foal of Falaniella (Faltaat), Milan Miss (Darci Brahma), was trained by Te Akau to win three races.

Heat 18 Maiden 935 metres (8 lengths, 3 lengths 54.8)

Piper (3 f O'Reilly - Invermoray) - Michael McNab; steadied rearward from a wide gate, eight lengths 600m, and made ground stylishly after circling widest around the home turn.

Put aside after finishing second on debut as a two-year-old, her owners Shelley Frost and Raywyn Ramage have bred three generations of the family and this filly has shown plenty of promise.

Heat 19 Maiden 935 metres (head, 2 ¼ lengths 55.0)

Qian Gua (3 g Cape Blanco - Cool Diamond) - Michael McNab; began well, travelled keenly camped on the leaders and ran home solidly for fifth without being extended.

In training for Mr. S Hon and Mr. Q Yu, after Mr. Hon purchased him at the 2016 NZB Ready to Run Sale, he is from a terrific Cambridge Stud family that includes Capital Diamond, Diamond Lover, Tristalove, and stallions: Don Eduardo, Viking Ruler, and Viscount.

Heat 20 Maiden 935 metres (½ a length, 2 ¼ lengths 55.5)

Remington (3 g Darci Brahma - Kudamm) - Nik Bakar; pushed forward to race three wide on the pace and despite the trip he kept finding plenty in the run home for second.

From the impressive winner Kudamm (Cape Cross), who notched three of her four wins over 1600 metres, he was purchased a yearling by David Ellis for $75,000, from the draft of Pencarrow Stud, at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Sale.

Heat 22 Maiden 935 metres (long neck, neck 55.7)

Jet Set (3 g Savabeel - Society Lady) - Opie Bosson; settled well back after beginning awkwardly - clearly at the tail end - and not rushed thereafter he continued closing the margin with a big run for sixth.

He was purchased by David Ellis for $440,000 at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Blandford Lodge.  A half-brother to stable-mate and Karaka Million placed colt Kingsman (Darci Brahma), his dam, Society Lady (O'Reilly), was a smart winner as a two-year-old, and grand-dam, Logical Lady (Sound Reason), left champion 3YO Miler Final Destination (O'Reilly), a dual group one winner of the 1000 Guineas and Bayer Classic.

Heat 23 Maiden 935 metres (2 lengths, short neck 55.8)

Lady Zeraph (3 f Makfi - Zatiger) - Chelsea Burden; was pushed out, posted three in fifth, ranged up around the home turn and kept up a strong finish for third.

She was purchased by David Ellis for $120,000 at the 2016 NZB Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Wellfield Stud, who raced her dam, Zatiger (Zabeel), an impressive three-time winner over a mile that in turn has already left Billy Britain (One Cool Cat), a winner of five races up to 2200 metres in Singapore, and Tiger Tim (Alamosa) a winner of four races and shaped as a notable staying horse in New Zealand.