Two Starters, Two Winners

It was another excellent day for Te Akau Racing trainer Jamie Richards and our team at "headquarters" as we had two horses step out at Matamata and BOTH came home winners ... here is the first ...

In A Twinkling (3 g Fastnet Rock - Moment in Time, by Archway) produced a big effort fresh-up to beat a competitive field in the $10,000 Paul Jones Contracting Maiden 3YO 1200 metres on 12 September at Matamata.

Awkwardly drawn in barrier 10, rider Shafiq Rusof settled In A Twinkling back in the field, seventh at the 800m, before improving wide inside the 600m and he drove hard in a tight finish to win by a short head.

“He's a nice horse and should make a nice miler,” Shafiq said. “The fast pace really suited him. I was happy to slot in and get some cover and see how the race panned out. I brought him into the race from the 600m because I thought he would take a while to warm up and he just kept giving me something in the straight.

“I'd watched his last replay and he just kept coming,” said Shafiq, reflecting on In A Twinkling charging home for second in the Maiden 2YO 1200 metres (Dead5) when debuting in February at Pukekohe.

On improving Slow7 footing, In A Twinkling ran the 1200 metres in 1:13.1, last 600m in 36, and paid $3.70 & $1.40 on the NZ TAB.

Owned by the Te Akau Fastnet Moment Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis), purchased by David Ellis for $250,000, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud, at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, In A Twinkling notched a victory at his second start and appears to have a bright future.

“It was another terrific ride by Suppy (Shafiq) and quite an encouraging performance by the horse,” Ellis said.

“Although not a two-year-old type, he'd shown us quite a lot last season so we started this campaign pretty confidently. His two trials in August had looked a touch ordinary, but the ground was heavy, and last week Opie (Bosson) told me that In A Twinkling had turned the corner, been working up really well and thought he'd go a big race. Again, as usual, Opie was spot on.

“He's nominated for the 2000 Guineas, it was a strong field at Matamata and I think it was the run of a horse that could end up in the Guineas - a race we've won six times.

“So, it was fantastic for him to resume with a win for a great team of owners and another example of what a great job the team are doing.”

His dam, Moment in Time, was a dual Group Three winner, dead-heating in a VRC St Leger, and winning six times from 1400m to 2800 metres.

Stable representative Scott Lucock said: “He's a good type of horse and still has a lot to learn, but had shown plenty of improvement in the last couple of weeks. He showed plenty of fight and has the pedigree to go further”.

Te Akau has had terrific success with the progeny of Fastnet Rock (Danehill), including 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Rock ‘N' Pop, now standing at Waikato Stud, and Group One winners Heroic Valour (now standing at stud in Australia), Age Of Fire (who will stand at Cambridge Stud in due course) and Champion Two-Year-Old Avantage who also won the Karaka Million.

Interestingly, local sponsor Paul Jones' last visit to the Winners Circle was to celebrate the win by stable-mate Byzantine (Savabeel) in March in Matamata.

In A Twinkling was strapped by Teina Walters.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz