Ready To Run Sale Produces Another Good One

Media Release - Sunday October 7

New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale has unearthed numerous big-race performers in recent years, and a dominant victory in Saturday's $70,000 Group 3 Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings has set Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) up to join them.

Te Akau SharkThe number-one Sale of its kind in Australasia, the Ready to Run Sale has an impressive honour roll of 17 Group 1 winners includingMongolian Khan(Holy Roman Emperor),Gingernuts(NZ) (Iffraaj),Vin De Dance(NZ) (Roc de Cambes),Turn Me Loose(NZ) (Iffraaj),Gaultier(NZ) (Rios),Dukedom(NZ) (Bachelor Duke) andHall Of Fame(NZ) (Savabeel).

Te Akau Shark was bought for $230,000 at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, a perennial leading buyer at the National Yearling Sales Series and an increasingly major Ready to Run player. He also bought Gingernuts and Hall Of Fame.

Te Akau Shark began his career with two wins last spring before a close fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. That remains his only defeat, having begun his four-year-old season with spectacular back-to-back wins at Hastings.

On Saturday he came from a long way off the pace, giving the leaders as much as 12 lengths as they ran down the side of the track. But he produced an electrifying turn of foot in the straight to charge to the lead and power away to win by three lengths.

"He won really well, he couldn't have been much more impressive," trainer Jamie Richards said. "I was a little bit worried at the 700 with the amount of ground he was giving them, but it didn't matter in the end. He's a very progressive horse.

Advertisement

"This is a fantastic result for a great group of owners. Quite a few of them have come over from Australia for this, and they're all wearing their shark hats – it's a bit of fun."

Owned by a group that includes several Cronulla Sharks rugby league players, Te Akau Shark has had five starts for four wins and $107,875 in stakes.

The 2018 Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on November 21 and 22, with Breeze Ups at Te Rapa Racecourse on October 15 and 16.

Vendor Premier Sale: Leanach Lodge LtdReady to Run Sale: Lyndhurst Farm
Purchaser Ready to Run Sale: Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau)
Breeding Rip Van Winkle – Bak da Chief
Sale Lot 187, 2016 Premier Sale, Psd (Res $70,000)Lot 72, 2016 Ready to Run Sale, $230,000
Bred by D B Hollinshead
Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Friday June 6
Here is the full list of 31 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
North Pacific 2YO Ready to Win
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200.
Inglis Ready 2 Race Entries Open
Entries for the Inglis Ready2Race Sale – Australasia’s most progressive 2YO Sale – are now open.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
There were six heats for juveniles at Rosehill on Friday that featured some interesting winners including stakes-placed filly Horseshoe Hill, a couple of unraced youngsters by Zoustar and the highest priced yearling by Prague.
Te Akau Shark Ready for Aussie Debut
Exciting New Zealand galloper Te Akau Shark will kick-off his spring campaign in Australia on Saturday where he will contest the Group II Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick in front of some of his local owners, including Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Captain Paul Gallen.
New Winner for Bivouac
Godolphin have been  enjoying a winning run with their late season juveniles and it continued at Geelong on Thursday where Bivouac gelding Loving opened his account.
Karaka Graduate Green Energy Finds Top Form
The Danny Shum-trained Green Energy, a New Zealand-bred son of Rip Van Winkle, returned from an eight-month injury absence to win Monday’s public holiday feature at Sha Tin, the Class 2 Hong Kong Reunification Cup Handicap (1200m).
Another Day, Another Stakes-Winner for Wootton Bassett
A homebred for Marc Chan, quality Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Green Impact closed out his juvenile season winning the Group II Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and he bounced back into the winner’s list at the same venue overnight.
A Passion That Lasts a Lifetime
A passion for pedigrees and thoroughbreds is often one that lasts a lifetime and so it has been for one of the co-breeders of Bravery, who contacted me this week following our earlier and very well read story on current 2YO star Cool Archie.
New SW for Rip Van Winkle
On a day where she tasted Group One success with Gaultier in the Levin Classic (1600m) in 2017, Matamata trainer Danica Guy was at it again when she produced Germanicus to take out Group III  Bluestar Anniversary Handicap (1600m).