Te Akau Saturday Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has two horses racing on Saturday 22 December: Te Rapa, and Awapuni.

Te Rapa:

As on Friday 21 December the conditions were: fine and Dead4, rail true. Showers forecast Friday, fine Saturday.

1.45 p.m. R3 1 Chance to Dance (9 g Teofilo - Crystal Ballet) - Chelsea Burdan (a4); resumed with a determined front running effort for third in the Bulls Country Cup (Open, 1600m) on 24 November at Awapuni, and contests the $35,000 Open 1600 metres. Clearly highest rated as a triple stakes winner, claiming to 59kgs, he should settle in or near the lead from barrier three and certainly looks competitive in a field of only six. Fixed odds: $4.20 & $1.40.

Awapuni:

As on Friday 21 December the conditions were: fine and Dead6, rail true. 8mls forecast overnight Friday and race day morning.

1.28 p.m. R2 1 Laurentium (2 c Sacred Falls - Alberton Princess) - Shafiq Rusof; showed both ticker and quality when winning an 800-metre trial on 27 November at Matamata, and debuts in the $22,500 2YO 1100 metres. A half-brother to gifted three-year-old Brutal (O'Reilly), dual stakes winner of three from three in Melbourne, his dam, Alberton Princess (Golan), was an impressive winner on two occasions over 1400 metres and already left four individual winners of 10 races. From the colonial Alberton family that continues to improve, he should go well from barrier four in a field of debutantes.