Te Akau Racing are heading into Karaka Millions week with a spring in their step following a positive set of results at their home trials at Matamata on Tuesday.
New Zealand’s leading stable has accrued an envious record at the renowned meeting, and this year they look to have another strong hand and have once again secured the services of leading Australian jockey Blake Shinn.
Shinn flew to New Zealand to ride a number of Te Akau representatives at the trials on Tuesday, which proved to be an invaluable exercise according to trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson.
“He is a world-class jockey and his feedback was fantastic,” Bergerson said. “It was good to get a good line on quite a few of them and we were very lucky to get him over.”
Shinn rode leading TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) contender Damask Rose to a runner-up performance in last year’s TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and renewed his association with the filly when sixth in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
Shinn reunited with the exciting filly in a 1000m heat on Tuesday where they finished second behind Babylon Berlin.
“It was a sharp heat,” Bergerson said. “Damask Rose is just ticking over to head to the Karaka Millions 3YO Mile.
“We trialled her in blinkers, which sharpened her up, and we will probably put them on raceday.
“Blake was pleased with her, and he rode her on Boxing Day, and is getting to know her a bit better now.
“It was good to see her jump with them, and it would be lovely to draw a barrier and put her in the race a bit more. On face value it (Auckland Guineas) was disappointing, but she trialled well against Babylon Berlin who will be a really good chance in the Railway.”
Shinn also partnered with exciting filly Captured By Love, with the daughter of Written Tycoon winning her 1000m heat by two lengths over Imprevu, and she looks on song for next week’s Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) where she will renew her burgeoning rivalry with fellow Matamata filly Alabama Lass.
The ledger currently stands at two victories to one in Captured By Love’s favour, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, and her connections are keen to see that trend continue.
“She trialled really well and Blake was pleased,” Bergerson said. “She is fit, sound and happy, and she is in very good form.
“She will take a bit of improvement from that, she had a freshen-up following Riccarton and that will bring her on nicely heading into the Railway. With the weight, we are very fortunate to get Craig Williams on her.
“The time wasn’t as sharp as Alabama Lass’s or a few of the other heats, but they didn’t go much tempo, but she was strong through the line.”
Group One winner Move To Strike could also make an appearance at the Karaka Millions meeting following his 1000m trial victory over Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) winner Bourbon Empress on Tuesday.
The son of I Am Invincible has faced a number of setbacks in his brief career to date, suffering a heart fibrillation in his third start in the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m) after winning on debut and finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), but bounced back in his next start when winning the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1600m) at Trentham.
There was plenty of excitement surrounding the colt ahead of his first three-year-old test in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) at Hastings in September where he was backed into $1.50 favouritism but he put in a subpar performance to finish fifth and subsequently underwent a wind operation.
He returned to the trials last month in a Group and Listed trial over 1100m at Matamata where he finished unplaced, and his trainers were buoyed to see him take out his 1000m heat on Tuesday in the hands of Shinn.
“We were quite confident and happy with him heading into Hawke’s Bay and he was disappointing,” Bergerson said.
“We thought there must be something amiss, so he had a tie forward operation and his breathing was really good yesterday (Tuesday). He has had a few issues in his career, he had a heart fibrillation at Matamata as a two-year-old and now he had the breathing issue as a three-year-old.
“He went a lot better (on Tuesday) than the Group and Listed trial at Matamata (last month) where he was a bit big and burly. He had an exhibition gallop in-between times.
“We wanted to give him a really good, solid hit-out to see where we were at with him. We put the visor blinkers on him which seemed to have switched him on and sharpened him up a wee bit.
“Blake was taken by him, he sprinted well. If he does well over the next week or so, we may look to run him in the Almanzor Trophy (Gr.3, 1200m) on Karaka Millions night, and Blake can ride him there.
“They have run all the possible tests on him, and you don’t really know until raceday as it is a different pressure, but we can’t fault him at home, he seems well and he has come through the trial well.
“If he brings the best version of himself, he will be very hard to beat.”
One Te Akau runner that won’t be attending the Karaka Millions meeting is stakes-winning juvenile Return to Conquer, who beat home a handy line-up of older horses in his 1000m heat.
The son of Snitzel has yet to be headed in any of his public appearances to date, and was impressive when winning on debut in the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe in November.
He has subsequently been freshened and is on target for next month’s Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie following Tuesday’s trial victory.
“We are of the opinion that if we think they are good enough to trial against those older horses we will as it toughens them up a bit and brings them on a little bit more than say a two-year-old trial where he would probably coast,” Bergerson said.
“Blake was really pleased with him. He is a two-year-old against some pretty good older horses and he was very good. He is a lovely horse and seems to have come through it well.
“He hasn’t put a foot wrong since he has been in the stable, he is coming up really well. We will let the dust settle a little bit but there is a high chance he will run at Ellerslie the week after the Karaka Millions in the Colin Jillings Classic and then we will map it out from there.
“He is a beautiful horse.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
