The Australian Sportsman Eyes Elle

The Australian based Sportsman weekly has thrown the spotlight on Sassy 'N' Smart after her Listed Welcome Stakes' success ... racing editor Shayne O'Cass writes ...

Te Akau chief David Ellis will pursue a Group 1 path with exciting two-year-old filly Sassy 'N' Smart who became her sire Smart Missile's first stakeswinner when thrashing her Welcome Stakes rivals in New Zealand.

The Arrowfield bred filly and Easter Yearling graduate went into the time honoured feature as the pronounced favourite off her 800m debut win at the venue two weeks prior.
Sassy 'N' Smart's commanding 2.8-length win in the Welcome Stakes came with a slick time of 57.41s for the 1000m.

The Welcome Stakes was first run in 1879 and boasts an honour roll that includes luminaries like Mr Tiz, Jennifer Rush, Our Mazicay and Te Akau's own Maroofity, one of their five winners of the race.

Sassy 'N' Smart was bought by Ellis at Newmarket for just $150,000 and was stablenamed in honour of Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson.

"She's a really top class filly and right up there with some of the best fillies that Te Akau has ever had," Ellis said.

"She just killed them in the stakes race on Saturday and looks like a filly with huge potential. Her time was pretty fast even in Riccarton terms."

It's unlikely we will see Sassy 'N' Smart in Sydney soon, she is pencilled in to remain at home with an ambitious start to 2016 planned.

"We will probably take her to Trentham in January for the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes and then we'll go to the Matamata Breeders' Stakes and do both the Group 1's, the Diamond Stakes and the Sire's Produce Stakes," said Ellis.

One Tangerine-clad horse that we will definitely be seeing in action in Australia sometime in the new year is Te Akau's Pentire son Xtravagant who won the Group 1 N.Z. Guineas (1600m) by 8.5 lengths earlier this month.

His winning time of 1:33.59s compares favourably with that of last year's winning Turn Me Loose (1:35s) who happened to take out the Group 1 VRC Emirates only a matter of hours after Xtravagant's epic win across the Tasman.

Ellis described Xtravagant's Guineas win as "probably the easiest Group 1 win I've ever seen."

"I was wrapped because it was the fastest run Guineas at Riccarton ever and he won by 8.5-lengths eased down," Ellis said. "He certainly looks right up there with some of the very good horses we have had."

Te Akau can do no wrong at present claiming the N.Z. 1000 Guineas (Risque)/ 2000 Guineas (Xtravagant) double during Cup Week at Riccarton this November.
Xtravagant was Te Akau's fifth 2000 Guineas winner in the last 12 years while Risque was their fourth 1000 Guineas winner in eight years.

HOOFNOTE: Te Akau Racing currently leads the Trainer's Premiership in both New Zealand and Singapore with approximately 160 winners (combined) this calendar year.