Triple Royal Success

On Saturday at Te Rapa, trainers Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards took a step closer to their 100^th win for the season and Royal Success (3 g Savabeel - Royal Show, by Deputy Governor) notched a hat-trick of victories in the last five weeks.

It has been a stellar beginning for the first season training partnership and the win kept them atop the premiership by seven, with a total of 98, seven weeks before the close.

Bred by the late Jim Campin at Chequers Stud, and purchased by David Ellis for the Te Akau Royal Success Syndicate, Royal Success had produced a special feat to race away by six lengths in the Rating 65 1600 metres on Slow9 at Otaki, having let down very well at his previous start to win the Maiden 1400 metres on Slow7 at Pukekohe, and after being unlucky when finishing fifth on debut he now boasts three wins from four starts.

“We've had a bit of an opinion of him since he came back in for this preparation and the owners have been very patient,” said Richards.

“He had a couple of holdups in the spring but now as an autumn three-year-old he's really putting it together and it's not easy for a horse to win three in a row - especially going from a Rating 65 midweek to a Rating 75 on a Saturday in the north.

“And these Savabeel's just keep improving,” added Richards.

Having been aboard for each of his race day starts, Matt Cameron had Royal Success on pace before steadying to fourth and following a perfect drag into proceedings from the 600m he charged home, despite Matt losing his whip, to lead a furlong out and kept going strongly in the $22,500 Norris Ward McKinnon Rating 75 1600 metres.

Again footing rated in the slow range (Slow7) enabled him to show his best and he ran the mile in 1:37.6, last 600m in 35.7, paying $5.40 & $2.00 as third favourite on the tote, and was amongst three winners on the card for Cameron. He tightened the margin on Lisa Allpress to four in the jockey premiership, looking for his third title in succession.

“He's shown a lot of ticker to win three races in his first preparation,” said Ellis.

“In a typical Matt Cameron ride, he literally lifted the horse even though he lost his whip at the 300m. He lifted him to win, and it's great the way Jamie & Steve have got the horse racing so well.

“He was a horse that I bought with a view to be a Derby runner, but he just had a few niggles early in his career and I think he should develop into a really nice cups horse, and this time next year he could be in Brisbane for some nice races,” said Ellis. 

The team has a good chance to record win 99 when Flirty Gertey (Thorn Park) lines up in the Rating 90 1200 metres, race 7 at 4.01 p.m., on Sunday at Oamaru, with Matt Cameron aboard.

Royal Success was strapped by Wiremu Pinn (17), a young apprentice with Te Akau who has now handled four horses at the races for four wins - quite amazing.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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