Te Akau Girls Trial Stylishly

Two of Te Akau's top line girls trialled well at Matamata on Wednesday 31 March - in a trial staged before the raceday commenced for stakes' performers preparing for upcoming black type assignments.   Te Akau's Sydney-bound Entriviere and Group 1 NZ Breeders' Te Aroha candidate Avantage both stepped out "at home" facing off against Levante and Familia ...

Weather: drizzling, track: Slow8, rail: out 9 metres.

Heat 1 Open 1100 metres (1 ¼ lengths, ¾ lengths 1:06.5 - last 600m 34.0)

Entriviere  (4 m Tavistock - Marcey's Belt) - Danielle Johnson; began well to lead, travelled comfortably and quickened best to win well.

Brilliant when winning in the Concorde Handicap (Gr. 3, 1200m) on Karaka Million night (23 Jan.) at Ellerslie, she extended her record to five wins and a second from six starts when racing clear in the King's Plate (Gr. 3, 1200m) on Derby Day (7 March) at Ellerslie. From the family of triple Group One winner of the Cox Plate, Orr Stakes and Yalumba Stakes, Maldivian (Zabeel), she is scheduled to contest the $300,000 Sapphire Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on Saturday 17 April at Randwick.

Avantage  (5 m Fastnet Rock - Asavant) - Opie Bosson; settled behind the leading pair, sighted daylight a furlong out and quickened boldly into second.

Purchased as a yearling by David Ellis for $210,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, her eight Group One wins is a record by progeny of prolific Champion Sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill), and the former Champion Two-Year-Old has been a sensation for those in Te Akau Avantage Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). Her record stands at 15 wins from 26 starts and $2 million in prize money. She is scheduled to contest the $200,000 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m) on Saturday 10 April at Te Aroha.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz