Te Akau Throwback Thursday - Cosmetique

Te Akau #THROWBACKTHURSDAY!

Today Te Akau Throwback Thursday this week celebrates David Ellis' first Group 1 winner in timely fashion! Why? Saturday sees the running of the final Group 1 race of the season, the Easter Handicap this weekend at Ellerslie​!

Let's introduce you to Cosmetique who took out the Group 1 Easter Handicap in 1986!

David Ellis got involved in horse racing back in 1971 - his first attendance was at the prestigious Easter Handicap meeting at Ellerslie, that year that Evenstead won the race.  He immediately knew that winning a Group 1 was something he wanted to achieve.

Soon after that he got his first winner's circle visit in 1978. Not long after, he was lucky enough to indeed capture his first notable Group 1 winner, when Cosmetique, ridden by Gary Grylls and trained by Bill Ford, won the 1986 Group 1 Easter Handicap.

In winning the Easter Handicap, Cosmetique beat one of the superstars of New Zealand racing - (Our) Waverley Star. It might have only been a nose victory but Waverley Star was the winner of 12 races in a career that spanned 19 starts, with stakes' earnings of $651,965. Who could ever forget his epic battle in the 1986 Cox Plate when he was beaten a neck by Bonecrusher?

After that win Te Akau's tangerine colours became a common sight at the winning post.

Cosmetique was purchased by David Ellis for $120,000. By the American sire Barcas, she recorded eight wins in her career which included three Group and Listed races - the Group 1 ARC Easter Handicap, Group 2 ARC Lion Red Stakes and the Group 3 WRC Noble Heights Stakes. She raced 32 times and outside of those eight wins, was placed on 15 other occasions earning career prize money of $165,840 - a large amount at the time of her retirement (which came on a high note winning the Group 3) in May 1987.

When she won the Group 1 Easter Handicap, Cosmetique paid $26 and David admits he had a clean-up on the tote that day!