Te Akau NZ Wins 5 (& a stakes' race) - Here's No.1

Te Akau Racing in New Zealand is proud beyond belief to have trained five winners (including a stakes' winner) on Saturday - here's the first ...

Debutante Sassy ‘N' Smart (2 f Smart Missile - Panorama Ridge, by Empire Maker) earned herself a crack at the $50,000 Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1000m) on New Zealand Cup Day after an impressive win in the $17,500 NZB Ready to Run Sale 800m on Saturday at Riccarton.

The win also elevated trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards to joint top of the Trainers' Premiership with 20 wins for the season, while Mark Walker leads the premiership for Te Akau with 71 wins (8 ahead) in Singapore.

However, it wouldn't be long until our team became the clear-cut Premiership leaders with four further winners to come.

Not helped by missing the start, Sassy ‘N' Smart recovered to fifth in a field of six and after ranging with plenty to offer at the 200m she proved too good when winning by a comfortable three-quarter length margin for rider Michael McNab.

With McNab aboard, despite also being slowly away, she had looked very progressive winning her only trial by three lengths recently at Waipa, and on the strength of that performance was backed into favouritism ($2.10 & $1.30).

She ran the 800 in 45.9, with the last 600m in a sizzling 32.2.

The filly was purchased by David Ellis for $150,000 at the Inglis Sydney Easter Sale from the draft of Arrowfield Stud, and is owned by the Te Akau Sassy ‘N' Smart Syndicate, managed by David Ellis.

Ellis said: “Karyn (Fenton-Ellis), Jamie Richards and I went to Sydney this year and bought four yearlings - two colts and two fillies - and this is the first one we've started. The moment I saw this filly at the sales, I said to Jamie: ‘isn't this a beautiful filly?' and I was thrilled that we had enough money to buy her.

“There is a really good team of owners in the filly,” said Ellis. “Some first time owners as well as some of our most loyal owners and Karyn and I are just over the moon for them.

“I thought it was a terrific team effort. Steve and Jamie have done a great job educating her and she was one of two fillies taken south last week, accompanied on the trip by Meg (Cunneen) and they've both won (Opulent being the other later in the day).

“And it's another win for Pam (Gerard) and Gary (Ritchie), who are doing a fantastic job with the team of horses at Riccarton.

“Sassy "N" Smart is by a very exciting sire in Smart Missile and she gave him his first winner from his first runner in New Zealand,” said Ellis. “He was a colt that was installed favourite for the Golden Slipper and was unfortunately scratched at the barrier. However he was obviously a very classy young racehorse and as these sons of Fastnet Rock do, they become good sires."

Providing she comes through the race in good shape, Ellis outlined some lofty goals ahead for the filly.

“If Steve & Jamie are happy with her she will go to the Listed Welcome Stakes on 14 November. We would then give her break on the fresh spring grass at Te Akau Stud. She would then run in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes on New Year's Day at Ellerslie, the Group 2 Matamata Breeders Stakes, and the two Group 1 races for two-year-olds (Diamond Stakes & Sires' Produce Stakes),” said Ellis.

“She's got a lot of scope about her and as a three-year-old we would like to set her for the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series”.

“I also think you'll find she will be right up with the best two-year-olds we've had,” said Ellis, who amongst a host of talented juveniles he has previously purchased are Welcome Stakes winners Encosta Diablo (Encosta De Lago), Bespoke (Pins), and Maroofity (Maroof).

Picture credit - www.raceimages.co.nz