Hockey

Te Akau’s black type troops will be out in force on Saturday with leading hopes chasing down elite level honours and a quartet of contenders in the hunt for the richest purse on offer at Ellerslie. Unbeaten filly Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) will start a short-priced favourite in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), although trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson also expect a bold showing from stablemate Out Of The Blue (NZ) (Tivaci). An uncharacteristic last-start failure aside, Towering Vision’s (NZ) (Circus Maximus) form entitles him to respect in the Gr.1 HKJC World Pool NZ Derby (2400m) while To Bravery Born (NZ) (Snitzel), La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth), He Who Dares (NZ) (Snitzel) and Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) represent the stable in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). Russian Revolution’s daughter Lara Antipova has been untested to win all three of her starts and is blessed with an ideal gate (four) in what looms as her sternest test to date. “She has gone right-handed and left-handed, on good tracks and a heavy track,” Bergerson said. “She keeps raising the bar and wasn’t overly suited by the conditions last time at Matamata where class got her through. “She is an incredibly sharp filly who can switch up gears at the drop of a hat. She saves it all for race day, so we are really excited about her and she’s a really strong winning chance.” Out Of The Blue has won two of his five starts and struggled with the track conditions when a last-start runner-up in the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m). “We thought he would get through the ground and he travelled into it nicely and Craig (Grylls) said when he let his head go, he went up and down on the spot,” Bergerson said. “He’s the most experienced horse in the field and that will hold him in good stead.” Towering Vision was tracking along perfectly toward the Derby before he tailed the field home in the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m). “We were so pleased with him heading in and confident, so we were scratching our heads,” Bergerson said. “He was vetted on the day, and we got him home and ran all possible tests, he’s as bright as a button and we can’t fault him. “Maybe he just had an off day, we’ve put a line through it and his previous form was very good. It’s an open Derby and he worked with the Wexford runner Yamato Satona (NZ) (Satono Aladdain) on Tuesday and the work was super so fingers crossed he can bounce back.” Te Akau’s Kiwi contingent have all pleased but Bergerson acknowledged the task ahead to lower the hot pot’s colours. “We’re really proud of the team and fantastic to have four in the race, they’ve all got there on their merits with different form lines,” he said. “Well Written (Written Tycoon) is there and she’s certainly the benchmark and the one to beat. We’re going in as underdogs, but we’re excited and just hope our four get some luck and get their chances.” While Bergerson is loath to split his runners, Belle Cheval narrowly gets the nod as top seed following consecutive Group Three victories in the Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and Almanzor Trophy (1200m). “The interesting thing is the set weights and penalties, some get in better than others and La Dorada has to carry that 3kg penalty and even To Bravery Born has to carry 58.5kg,” Bergerson said. “You’d probably say Belle Cheval is the one who really keeps stepping up and getting better and better. “I do think He Who Dares is way over the odds, he’s drifted because of the barrier draw (13) but if he is able to get across without doing too much work then he’ll give a great sight.” Earlier in the day, high-quality mare Quintessa (NZ) (Shamus Award) will resume in the Gr.2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m). “She’s going really well and I know people watch her trials sometimes and get a bit disheartened, but she’s been the same the whole way through and waits until the blinkers go on,” Bergerson said. “She’s had two trials and an exhibition gallop, it’s an even field and she has to lug that Group One penalty but we’re sure she’s going to run really well.” View the full article

The second running of the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie on Saturday is already a major triumph for Karaka nursery Haunui Farm. The stud has a remarkable five graduates chasing the richest prize in Australasia for three-year-olds with Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo), He Who Dares (NZ) (Snitzel), L’Aigle Noir (NZ) (Ribchester), War Princess (NZ) (U S Navy Flag) and Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) in contention for the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race. “The amazing thing is that it’s a different style of race, someone has to pick your horse and it’s not just up to the handicapper,” Haunui’s Mark Chitty said. “I think all five justifiably deserve to be in the race, they have all showed nice form from a Group One winner to a Rating 67 in L’Aigle Noir, who was a bit unlucky in the Uncle Remus (Gr.3, 1400m). “To run a farm, you’re doing it 365 days of the year in all types of weather and circumstances, so we are very proud. “We’ve got some wonderful clients who have bred some of these horses as well as ourselves, that are in the race.” The top-rated Haunui graduate is the Pam Gerard-trained Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Romanoff. The son of Belardo was bred by Marie Leicester and sold through Haunui’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $75,000 to Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman. Te Akau’s multiple stakes-placed Snitzel colt He Who Dares was bred by Haunui with Frantic Bloodstock and knocked down at Karaka to David Ellis for $825,000. U S Navy Flag’s Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) winner War Princess was sold to trainer Peter Didham and Exempt Bloodstock for $77,500 by Haunui on behalf of breeders Don and Dame Wendy Pye. The couple also bred El Roca’s daughter Lollapalooza, winner of the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), who was secured at Karaka for $30,000 and signed for by co-trainer Graham Richardson and Social Racing. The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained L’Aigle Noir is a daughter of Haunui’s resident sire Ribchester and represents one of the feelgood stories of The NZB Kiwi. “He was bred by Anne Marie de Spa and Charles Hall from Christchurch and Anne Marie has the Sothys Australasian franchise and they sponsored the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) for close to a decade,” Chitty said. “The mare (Silhouette Noire) had a chequered breeding career and unfortunately lost a foal and got quite ill after that. “She came to us and we couldn’t get her right, so I involved Dr Lee Morris from EquiBreed, and being a veterinarian myself, said we needed to scope the mare’s uterus. “We did that and found something on the lining and she lasered that area and the resulting progeny of all that was L’Aigle Noir. “With veterinary intervention and the work of Lee and myself we’ve got this horse, and Anne Marie and Charles asked me to come into the ownership, and we’ve got a full brother back on the ground. It’s a pretty cool story.” L’Aigle Noir broke his maiden before finishing third in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) and a last-start fourth in the Uncle Remus after an interrupted run. “He’s an emerging horse and wasn’t out early and the Wexford team have taken him along quietly,” Chitty said. “You can’t deny Well Written has been sensational in her performances and she might just be way too good for them. “It is a horse race though, and we’ve seen before and we’ll see it again that not all $1.20 favourites win races, so we’ll take our chance and see what happens.” Haunui graduate slot holders: Romanoff, Canterbury Jockey Club; He Who Dares, Te Akau Racing; L’Aigle Noir, Waikato Thoroughbred Racing; War Princess, Milan Park and Lollapalooza, Barneswood Brady Nakhle. View the full article

Pam Gerard started the week by farewelling her stable star Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) and she is hoping to end it on a high when she heads to Ellerslie on Saturday to line-up two runners in the second running of the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). Romanoff (NZ) (Belardo) and Affirmative Action (Yes Yes Yes) have featured prominently among New Zealand’s three-year-old ranks this season, headed by their quinella in November’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. Romanoff’s victory in that race secured the Canterbury Jockey Club’s NZB Kiwi slot, while Affirmative Action, who was victorious in the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m) and placed in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m), will represent Auckland Thoroughbred Racing’s slot. Gerard is looking forward to competing in the NZB Kiwi for the first time and she said she is happy with her pair ahead of the rich feature. “The staff have done an awesome job,” she said. “It is something you dream of getting to and we did it very early on in the season. It is exciting to have two runners in a big prestige race like the NZB Kiwi. “I am happy with them. They are as good as they can be considering they have had a long season.” The pair have drawn at opposite ends of the spectrum, with Affirmative Action set to jump from barrier three under George Rooke, while Romanoff will carry top weight of 60kg, with Ryan Elliot aboard, from barrier 10. “It is the first time that he (Affirmative Action) has drawn a barrier the whole time,” Gerard said. “It gives us a lot easier start and we can be where we want to be. “Romanoff will pop in midfield somewhere and hopefully get the softest trip we can possibly get from that draw. “It is a tough ask with him having 60 kilos on his back, it is a huge handicap and one that is difficult to overcome.” In a market headed by undefeated Group One-winning filly Well Written (Written Tycoon) ($1.20), Affirmative Action has been installed a $27 winning chance with TAB bookmakers, while Romanoff is at $81. Earlier in the week, Gerard farewelled Group One winner Savaglee from her barn following his retirement from racing, and she is looking forward to him commencing the next chapter of his career at stud. Bred by Waikato Stud, Savaglee was purchased out of their Karaka draft by The Oaks Stud for $400,000 and was entrusted to the care of Gerard. He won two races as a juvenile, including the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), but made his mark as a three-year-old, winning five races, including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m), Gr.2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) and Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), and placed in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m). He had two starts as a four-year-old and the decision was made to retire him from racing after his last start at Taupo due to a joint issue. “He is a lovely horse and hopefully he can stay nearby where people can utilise him,” Gerard said. “He was a very fast three-year-old and is definitely the best horse I have had anything to do with. It was always going to be very hard stepping him up to weight-for-age and going to a four-year-old, but he has done enough. “He was an absolutely gorgeous horse to do anything with, he had a great nature, he was competitive and he just wanted to get out there and race. He is a super intelligent horse and that is going to take him a long way in the future, and I can’t wait to see the little Savaglees running around in the paddocks.” View the full article

Bulls trainer Raymond Connors has a sense of déjà vu with his quality stayer Trav (NZ) (Almanzor) ahead of Saturday’s Gr.2 Trackside Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie. The son of Almanzor was strong late when finishing fourth in last year’s Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) ahead of his victory in the Auckland Cup, and he put in a near identical performance at Trentham in January when finishing fifth, giving Connors the confidence to press on to try and defend his crown in the Auckland Cup. “He is pretty similar (to last year), so hopefully he repeats it,” Connors said. “It is an even sort of field and I think everybody has got a chance.” Trav has been unplaced since his Auckland Cup heroics, campaigning in Melbourne in the spring before a couple of runs at home over summer, and Connors was rapt to see him return to form in the Wellington Cup. “We were hoping he would run well and he did, so that was pleasing,” he said. Trav carried 53kg to victory from a wide gate in last year’s Auckland Cup, and it is a case of rinse and repeat in this year’s edition where he will carry the same impost from barrier 16. “He gets back whether we like it or not, that’s the way he races. He is not a great beginner out of the gates, which is a bit of a downfall, so he will get back,” Connors said. “The two miles is the key with him, the further he goes the better. We know he gets the distance, so that is a big plus in our favour, and he seems to like it up there (Ellerslie). “He should be finishing it off at the end I am hoping. We will see how we go, it will be interesting.” Trav will be ridden by regular jockey Masa Hashizume, who rode him to victory in last year’s Auckland Cup. He has been kept safe by TAB bookmakers who have installed him an $11 equal fifth favourite in a market headed by Australian raider Brayden Star at $4.40. View the full article

Regular rider Nash Rawiller will be in the opposition corner for Gringott’s (NZ) (Per Incanto) resumption. As Ciaron Maher prepares for the return of Gringotts in the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick, a rival jockey has inadvertently given a major push for one of the race’s key players. Nash Rawiller developed a strong partnership with Gringotts at the tail end of his most recent campaign, collecting back-to-back victories in the Big Dance and The Gong. Horse and jockey were penciled in to reunite in Saturday’s Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m), but following an honest conversation with Maher, Rawiller will instead stick with Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel), who he rode first-up when she flashed home for third to Joliestar (Zoustar) in the Expressway Stakes (1200m). Tommy Berry, who has partnered Gringotts to three wins including his Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) victory last year, takes the reins. “Nash was riding Gringotts, and he said, ‘Lady Shenandoah was in second gear the other day. Do you mind if I step off and step on (her)?’. I said, ‘no, Gringotts will probably want the run anyway’,” Maher recounted. “Tommy has ridden him plenty of times as well and had good success on him, so it didn’t make any difference, really. “He can run really well fresh, and he’s got a good base on him. He has been up at the beach. “But hearing those words out of Nash, and looking at the way Joliestar hit the line too, those two, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had his measure (on Saturday).” While Maher expects Gringotts to improve on whatever he does, he is pleased with how well the six-year-old has returned to work. Half of his 12 wins have been over a mile, and the trainer is contemplating stretching him beyond that for the first time. However, in the short-term, Saturday’s Canterbury Stakes will provide an ideal pipe-opener ahead of an attempted defence of his George Ryder Stakes crown. “He’s in good order. He ran in the Liverpool City Cup last time and then the George Ryder. This time he will go Canterbury Stakes to George Ryder,” Maher said. “He normally runs very well fresh. He had 61 (kilos) last year in the Liverpool City Cup, and I think he ran the fastest last 600 for the meeting and was unlucky.” Gringotts has only missed a top three finish once in six first-up runs but meets a strong field on Saturday headed by Chris Waller’s two mares along with their Golden Rose-winning stablemate Beiwacht (Bivouac), and Hobartville Stakes runner-up Napoleonic (Wootton Bassett). View the full article