Te Akau TV - Weekend Preview

WEATHER WATCH IN PLACE – BUT THE SHOW GOES ON!

There’s a weather watch currently in place across parts of New Zealand as we head into the weekend, which has now seen the Te Rapa meeting on Sunday postponed.

However, it’s still shaping as a busy few days of racing for the Tangerine Team with our horses stepping out at Riccarton and Otaki as we remain hopeful of clearer skies and plenty of opportunities.

Saturday sees a particularly strong team assembled at Riccarton Park, where we’re represented right throughout the programme.

We begin the day with Tinuviel, who gets her opportunity to kick things off over 1200m, before we head into the Listed Welcome Stakes where we have a two-pronged attack with Enchantment and Never Too Much. Both juveniles have shown ability and look well placed in what is always a competitive two-year-old feature – a race the stable has enjoyed great success in over the years.

In the Rating 75 over 1400m, Cool ‘N’ Fast and Vivacious line up, both bringing solid form into the race, while High Roller returns fresh-up to contest the mile in the following event.

Headlining the day in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes sees another strong pairing with Aishiteru and Perlino, two fillies who will appreciate the step to 1600m – exciting opportunities for their ownership teams.

Later in the day, Insatiable contests the sprint before we head into another feature of the afternoon – the $350,000 TAB Southern Alps Challenge. We’re well represented by Cognito and Stonybreck, both experienced gallopers capable of making their presence felt in a high-quality field.

We round out the Riccarton programme with Cognoscenti and Elegant Lady over 2000m, giving us strong representation across a full day of racing.

At Otaki, we have a compact but competitive team engaged. First Light lines up in the two-year-old event over 1300m, while Avantaggia looks well placed in the Rating 65 sprint. Hakkinen steps out over a mile, and we finish the day with Savoir Faire in the 2200m feature. He looks well suited stepping out to a staying trip and presents a genuine opportunity in a valuable race, despite drawing wide (barrier 20).

We were also scheduled to race at Te Rapa this weekend; however, NZTR has confirmed that the meeting has been postponed.

UPDATE FROM NZTR: NZTR and Waikato Thoroughbred Racing have made the decision to postpone this Sunday’s meeting to Friday 17 April in the interests of safety due to Cyclone Vaianu. Given the time between meetings, new nominations will be called and will close at noon on Monday 13 April, with horses from the original fields given preference.

While it’s a quieter weekend for our Cranbourne team, congratulations go to long-time supporter Ronald Lau, whose filly Wonderful Sky was impressive winning at Pakenham on Thursday night. An Adelaide stakes’ race is now firmly on her agenda. The two-year-old filly by exciting young sire Ole Kirk was purchased by David at last year’s Magic Millions Sale.

Speaking of Magic Millions, it’s also been a time of reflection as Group 1 winners Captured By Love and Quintessa have been retired from racing. Both mares provided their owners with incredible racetrack memories, combining for nearly $2 million in prizemoney. They will now head to the Magic Millions' National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast at the end of May, where we expect strong interest from breeders.

Both mares were purchased as yearlings by David – Quintessa, a dual Group 1 and Melbourne Group winner, from Karaka, while Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas and multiple other stake races winner Captured By Love returns to the venue where her journey began.

Despite the weather playing its part and altering plans, it’s still shaping as an enjoyable weekend of racing. Stay safe, and while conditions may be challenging, the depth of the team across all grades provides plenty of interest. We look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

As always, thank you for your continued support, and best of luck to all of our owners. GO THE TANGERINE!

Please note Te Akau TV was recorded prior to the postponement of the Te Rapa meeting.