Team Te Akau & Cameron Guineas' Double

www.stuff.co.nz website reports ...

The Te Akau and Matt Cameron show rolls on.

Along with trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, the Te Akau team have completed a clean sweep of the two Group I Guineas races during cup week at Riccarton.

Risque's win in the $300,000 Group I 1000 Guineas might not go viral around the racing world on youtube like stablemate Xtravagant's 2000 Guineas win seven days earlier, but it was impressive.

Raced by The Oaks Stud, the Darci Brahma filly came down the outside of the track to win by one and a quarter lengths over Strada Cavallo with a plucky Dezzies Dream a further length and a half behind in third.

Dezzies Dream's trainer Sabin Kirkland, who races the Coats Choice filly with All Black coach Steve Hansen, was daring to dream of Group I glory three quarters of the way down the long Riccarton straight.

"I thought I had it for a bit there, I really did," Kirkland said.

It was a brave effort from the pacemaker who many thought could not see out the mile.

But the run of the winner was even better and although she was a long way back as they turned for home Cameron was confident he could pick the leaders up.

He was taking comfort from Risque's last start win over the same distance in the Listed Armadillo Stakes at Riccarton.

"I was confident she could finish the mile off, I knew she had the class to do it," he said.

"Halfway down the straight I wan thinking I was a bit wide but I knew I had the horse and once I gave her a couple with the stick she really balanced out and really let down like a good horse," Cameron said.

"There was no way I was going to go back in to the inside so I made the right decision to give her clear air."

The Oaks Stud general manager Rick Williams had double cause to celebrate.

A Group I win was special but it was also the perfect advertisement for the stud's flagship sire Darci Brahma.

"It's a huge thrill for us today and it's a thrill for Darci Brahma," Williams said.

He paid tribute to the Autridge-Richards partnership and Pam Gerard who has been in the south looking after the Te Akau team.

A second Guineas win was hard to process for Autridge.

The training partnership only took over the Te Akau operation from Jason Bridgman in May and their four winners at Riccarton on Saturday has increased their dominant lead in the national trainer premiership.

"It's been an unbelievable thrill to get both Guineas and its been a huge thrill to get four today," Autridge said.

He hinted there could be Group wins in store for Risque.

"We always knew in our minds she could be special and now she has proved it."

Risque's win was Autridge's second in the 1000 Guineas.