Te Akau NZ Weekend Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has eight horses racing on Saturday 23 September: Hastings, and Riccarton.

Hastings:

As on Friday 22 September the conditions were: fine and Dead6, rail out 4 metres. 2mls rain forecast leading up to the meeting.

12.57 p.m. R3 1 Cousteau (3 c Exceed and Excel - Maritime) - Opie Bosson; trialled well with a first and fourth respectively at Avondale, and resumes in the $25,000 Rating 65 3YO 1100 metres. He was very consistent, with a win, two seconds and a third, from five starts as a two-year-old. Drawing the outside barrier (10) is not ideal, however he possesses the gate speed to be assertive and his prior form, including second to Prom Queen (Super Easy) in the Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1200m), suggests he can measure up in this field.

4.25 p.m. R9 5 Gingernuts (4 g Iffraaj - Double Elle) - Opie Bosson; settled in the rearward four of sixteen runners and after losing momentum in tightening around the home turn he made solid inroads to finish within three lengths of the winner, fifth, when resuming here in the Tarzino Trophy (Gr. 1, 1400m) on 2 September. Drawn barrier nine of 14 in the $200,000 Windsor Park Plate (Gr. 1, 1600m), he is likely to follow a similar path but without interference gets his chance to force the issue. He swept all before him as a three-year-old, winning the Avondale Guineas (Gr. 2, 2100m), New Zealand Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m), and Rosehill Guineas (Gr. 1, 2000m), and warrants plenty of respect given his great appetite for racing. Fixed odds: $4.00 & $1.75.

Riccarton:

As on Friday 22 September the conditions were: raining and Heavy11, rail out 11 metres. 2mls rain forecast Friday, partly cloudy race day.

11.05 p.m. R1 7 Age of Fire (3 c Fastnet Rock - Dragon's Tail) - Michael McNab; sustained a strong finish from off the pace for a close second here on debut a fortnight ago in the 3YO 1000 metres, on Dead6. Inconvenienced over the concluding stages, an enquiry against the winner was dismissed. Drawn barrier seven in the $10,000 Maiden 1200 metres, he appears ideally placed if able to act on the heavy ground.

11.35 p.m. R2 4 Lady Amadeus (4 m Medaglia D'oro - Rialto Bridge) - Samantha Collett; ended her previous campaign in April after a second and two thirds, and without a trial she resumes off 149 days in the $10,000 Maiden 1200 metres. She finished second on Slow8 in March at Matamata, has drawn barrier one but will have to cope with heavier footing.

11.35 p.m. R2 10 Heart of Courage (3 g Fastnet Rock - Myrrh) - Michael McNab; scratched when footing downgraded to Heavy11 on Friday 1 September at Ashburton, trialled well for second on the same course in the interim, and resumes in the $10,000 Maiden 1200 metres. He also recorded a strong win over 820 metres at the trials on 1 August at Te Teko. Gelded since racing as a two-year-old, the year younger brother of Group One winning stable-mate Heroic Valour (Fastnet Rock), who finished Second Top Two-Year-Old in the 2015/16 NZ Free Handicaps, he has won two of his four trials and just needs to transfer that form to race day.

12.05 p.m. R3 3 Grazia (5 m Savabeel - Trocair) - Michael McNab; ended the previous campaign on a high, winning three of her last five starts, and resumed with a close fifth to stable-mate Imperium (Encosta De Lago) here a fortnight ago in the Rating 75 1600 metres with Te Akau apprentice Tegan Newman (a4) aboard. Successful twice over 2100 metres in the autumn, she steps up in the $25,000 Rating 75 2000 metres, appears ideally placed, but has preferred better going.

2.24 p.m. R7 4 King Kane (4 g Showcasing - Vannista Belle) - Michael McNab; has been off the scene since racing in February, and without a trial he resumes off 209 days in the $22,500 Rating 65 1200 metres. He displayed good attributes winning his Maiden over a mile on dead ground last season at Hastings, will be using the race as a trial and looking forward to more distance and better going.

5.23 p.m. R12 9 Tiffany's Time (4 m Alamosa - Tinsel Time) - Michael McNab; made an encouraging start to her campaign with a solid performance for third on Dead6 here a fortnight ago in the Rating 65 1400 metres, and steps up in the $22,500 Rating 65 1600 metres. Consistent in four starts before winning her Maiden over 1400 metres, on Dead6, last October at Ruakaka, she has won on slow ground and finished second on heavy at the trials  to indicate reasonable prospects of handling the conditions.