Te Akau Team on Fire

Te Akau trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards, along with stable jockey Shafiq Rusof (31), lead their respective premierships in strike rate.

Debut two-year-old winner Ristretto (Makfi) notched the 65^th win this season for the trainers when scoring on 5 April at New Plymouth; their 5.6 strike rate the sharpest amongst the top 10 trainers, while Shafiq has recorded four wins and three places from 11 rides for the trainers, at a strike rate of 2.75.

“Steve and Jamie have got a terrific strike rate, which the owners can see that every five times they're going to the races they're winning,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis. “And with the cost of going to the races these days, that's important.

“I also like the fact that they've trained winners through the whole spectrum of ages and can't be pigeonholed as just two-year-old, or three-year-old, or just age group trainers.

“This season they've won stakes races with both Chambord who's seven and Chance To Dance is eight. Weight-for-age wins with Gingernuts, five-year-old Splurge won a Group Two, Royal Success is the same age and won a Group Three, five-year-old mare Our Abbadean won the Awapuni Gold Cup last Saturday, Grazia another stakes winner is rising six, along with nine individual two-year-old winners and 14 individual three-year-old winners, so it shows the trainers are doing it at all levels and to me it's the measure of a really good stable when you win with all types of horses.”

Apprenticed to Mark Walker at Matamata, and twice Champion apprentice in Singapore, Shafiq Rusof (31) has been in terrific form since returning in March.

“Shafiq's strike rate since he's been back in New Zealand is quite unbelievable,” Ellis said. “He's got a beautiful pair of hands, horses travel well for him, and he's ridden against some the best jockeys in the world.

“His ability to use the whip skilfully in both hands is such an advantage, and I think our young riders should be able to use the whip in both hands before they're licensed. It's such an important part of riding a horse out.”