Following her impressive debut victory in the SkyCity 1100 at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, Wexford Stables are daring to dream with their exciting juvenile filly Te Encuentro, a $600,000 purchase from Inglis Easter.
The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained filly won her sole trial over 800m at Pukekohe earlier this month and the Matamata horsemen were confident of a bold showing on debut.
That confidence quickly waned after she was forced to settle at the rear of the field and raced flat for most of the journey. She continued to battle at the back of the pack down the home straight, but in the final 200m she sprouted wings and took a gap between favourites Ka Ron and She’s No Saint to score an eye-catching long head victory.
While jockey Craig Grylls admitted to being slightly concerned during the mid-stages of the race, he was left in awe of her brilliant finish and he was delighted she was able to vindicate the stable’s early assessment of her.
“We were pretty confident with her,” he said. “She actually jumped okay but they all raced up inside me. I pulled her back to last and I thought I would travel into it a lot better, I was probably still last until the 250m. She has just picked up all of a sudden, took the gap like a pro and it was a big win. She has shown what we have thought of her.”
Lance O’Sullivan, whose wife Bridgette shares in the ownership of Te Encuentro, was delighted with the winning performance.
“She is relatively inexperienced, she has only had the one barrier trial before today, and it was a pretty special performance. She had to be pretty good to win,” he said.
“At the 300m I thought she was going to run a nice fifth or sixth, and run really well, but she really put in the last bit.”
Co-bred and sold by Arrowfield, Te Encuentro is ineligible for next month’s TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), but her connections are still dreaming of other big assignments and haven’t ruled out a bid at the Gr.1 Golden Slipper (1200m).
“She is not eligible for the big two-year-old race here at Ellerslie but looks like she is a filly that is going to run a long way further than the 1100m, the way she hit the line,” O’Sullivan said.
“We just hope she can take that next step up and be in good company.
“Andrew suggested we do that (nominate her for the Golden Slipper) early on and I said if she is good enough we will pay the late entry. It is not very often you get a New Zealand horse across for that race but if she carries on, we all have pipedreams, so who knows.”
Te Encuentro is the first foal of unraced Dubawi mare Summerland (GB ), a half-sister to imported Group I VRC Cantala Stakes winner Best of Days from stakes-winner Baisse.– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
