Te Akau Welcomes Blake Shinn

Australian jockey Blake Shinn, who leads the premiership in Victoria, has made the most of a brief suspension to come over and ride track work and at the jump outs for Te Akau at Matamata.

Suspended for 14 meetings, from 7 to 20 November, when he will resume riding at Caulfield, Shinn (36), who has ridden winners for Te Akau in Singapore and Victoria, rode 20 horses in track work on Thursday and Friday this week.

With 27 Group One wins to his credit, Shinn recorded 121 wins last season to finish second in the Victorian premiership and currently atop with 51 wins and a healthy lead over Kiwi Michael Dee (38), who also has a strong association riding horses for trainer Mark Walker at the Te Akau stables in Cranbourne.

Riding recently for Walker, Shinn struck a good relationship with Our Paramour (3 f Contributer – Victory Parade) to follow two good thirds by drawing away to win the Maiden 2025 metres on 11 October at Cranbourne, and subsequently contest the Wakeful Stakes (Gr. 2, 2000m) on Derby Day (2 Nov.) at Flemington.

After riding work on Friday, Shinn was in the company of Te Akau racing manager Reece Trumper, to inspect the stallions at Rich Hill Stud, ahead of spending the night at Te Akau Stud, and taking in today's Saturday racing with David Ellis CNZM.

“We were with Blake in Melbourne and when we found out he was suspended David (Ellis) invited him over to the stables here to have a look around and ride some work,” Trumper said.

“I took him up to the farm on Friday and then today he’ll be watching the races with Dave, and we’ve got runners at Tauranga and the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton.

Shinn said: “I went to the New Zealand trotting cup meeting on Tuesday at Addington, which was a great day, and then came up to Matamata.”

Among those he rode, Shinn was impressed with Return To Conquer (Snitzel), a burgeoning two-year-old colt that has won all three trials and now preparing to debut in the $110,000 Counties Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m) on Counties Cup Day (Saturday 23 Nov.) at Pukekohe.

“Obviously he was a high priced yearling, beautiful type, seems very precocious at this early stage, which is what you’d like to see being a two-year-old, but he’s definitely one to keep an eye on,” Shinn said.

Shinn was also happy with the work by Group Two winner Cognito (So You Think), who contests the $170,000 TAB Counties Cup (Gr. 3, 2100m) at Pukekohe, High Roller (Ace High), who trials next Monday (18 Nov.) at Waipa, and Court Of Appeal (Eminent) ahead of racing next Tuesday at Rotorua.

“She worked lovely (Court Of Appeal) and on the way she’s feeling I’d expect a good performance,” Shinn said.