Te Akau Wins 3 - the 1st!

Te Akau New Zealand trainer Jason Bridgman and stable rider Matt Cameron had a big day winning three at Rotorua ... read about the first of them ...

At only her second start, Arpeggio (3 f Tavistock - Macchiato, by Night Shift) was able to emulate her dam with an equally impressive Maiden victory over 1200 metres at Rotorua.

Macchiato, like her daughter Arpeggio was bred and owned by Sir Peter Vela who has entrusted Te Akau with training the pair. David Ellis got a huge thrill out of the win today because in fact when Macchiato first came to the stable it was he who was her trainer.

"We took Macchiato to Hawkes Bay one day and had Jim Collett to ride her.  He was also offered the ride on another horse in the race however nothing would get him off our filly as she was a stable favourite and she had any amount of ability," recalls Ellis.

"We were very confident that she would win that day but she was beaten on the line by a nose - by the filly, the ride on whom Jim had turned down.  That filly turned out to be Ethereal who of course went on to win the Group 1 BMW and Group 1 Melbourne Cup double amongst her many wonderful victories.  That year she was even honoured as 'Staying Mare of the World'."

When later trained by Mark Walker, Macchiato scored by four and a half lengths over 1200 metres in January 2001 at Rotorua, cementing her talent with four wins from only nine starts, and Jason Bridgman has followed suit with her fifth foal.

The seventh on debut by Arpeggio was far better than it appeared, with the filly fighting on solidly despite having been caught wide over 1400 metres at Matamata. And punters were obviously forgiving of the run to install her $5.50 fixed odds favourite, 45-days after her first up run.

Patiently ridden in seventh by Matt Cameron, Arpeggio clearly travelled better than her rivals when circling the home bend at the 400 metres and swept past with a well-timed run to win going away by one and three-quarter lengths.

The manner of victory, in a slick time of 1:10.1, last 600m in 35.4, was compelling and she certainly appears a nice quality filly to go on with.

“She had a slight setback following her first start and dropping back to 1200 metres may have been a blessing in disguise,” said trainer Jason Bridgman. “She travelled strongly on the 1200-metre tempo and rounded off well.

“It was very pleasing to frank the ability she displayed at the trials and we will now look to take her through the grades."

Each of the five siblings from Macchiato have now all been winners, with the best of them Harb (Catbird) including the Oaklands Plate (Listed, 1400m) as a two-year-old amongst his four wins.

Macchiato has a filly by Sepoy (Elusive Quality), Lot 41, in the Premier Session of the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales Series in January at Karaka.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz