Te Akau Te Rapa Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has six horses entered for the ten-race programme on Saturday May 17 at Te Rapa.

As on Friday May 16 the conditions were: fine and Slow7, rail out 7 metres.

Given there are four jumps races carded for Waikato Jumps Day, Te Akau stable jockey and premiership leader Matt Cameron has elected to ride on the same day at Awapuni.

12:23pm R3 7 Enhance (3 f Saperavi - Pinstinct) - Noel Harris; worked through the line nicely behind stable-mate Costa Viva (Encosta De Lago) in a recent trial over 1000 metres and resumes here off 147-days in the 3YO 1400 metres. She charged home on similar footing to win here on debut, has beaten subsequent stakes' winners Lady Cumquat (Duke of Marmalade) and Miss Mossman (Mossman) and although the two at the top of the field will dominate favouritism she has won two of her four starts - one of two in the race for Te Akau.

12:23pm R3 9 Quintette (3 f Alamosa - Everswindell) - Mark Sweeney; resumed here a fortnight ago in the Benchmark 75 1200 metres, following a break of 399-days. She was a winner and stakes' placed from only four races as a juvenile and while further improvement will come as she steps over more ground she has the ability to run a good race.

2:51pm R7 14 Bronte Lass (5 m Stravinsky - Little Dorritt) - Danielle Johnson; has been in search of reasonable footing since being beaten by a nose on April 2 over 1400 metres on Good3 at Matamata, with this rider aboard. Facing a stronger field here in the Open 1400 metres, her two starts on this course have been particularly good efforts for third and she is a talented mare at best.

3:26pm R8 3 Urban Angel (5 m Savabeel - Tutuland) - Mark Du Plessis; brings very good form to the race after finishing fourth on April 25 to Telepathic (Mossman) in the Benchmark 85 1600 metres at Avondale and third at her previous start to Candle In The Wind (Darci Brahma) at Ellerslie. Although carrying 58kgs in the Benchmark 75 1400 metres, her wide barrier could prove advantageous depending on the pattern by this time of day - one of two in the race for Te Akau.

3:26pm R8 7 Cold Snap (5 m Pins - Forty Two Below) - Michael Coleman; never really got into the race last time out in the Benchmark 75 1400 metres on April 30 at Avondale. She continues to train well and looks bright, so given a suitable passage from barrier ten can see her run a good race.

4:36pm R10 7 Wolfwhistle (3 c O'Reilly - Legs) - Danielle Johnson; like her stable-mate Bronte Lass, above, he too has been in search of the right opportunity over a mile on reasonable ground and it should come here in the Benchmark 65 1600 metres. Off 49-days and third up since resuming here on March 15, he strikes an ideal opportunity for a confidence building performance. Kept balanced in the run from barrier two, trainer Jason Bridgman is looking for him to be running home with purpose over the final stages. Out of the NZ Oaks (Gr. 1, 2400m) and Kelt Capital Stakes (Gr. 1, 2040m) winner Legs (Pins); he shapes as a type to appreciate stepping over more ground in due course.