Te Akau bringing Group One winner to Adelaide

[Wandering Eyes]

Sprint star Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) won’t be seen in the A$1m Gr.1 Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville next month but New Zealand Racing powerhouse Te Akau Racing have Adelaide in their sights.

Te Akau’s Mark Walker said quality mare Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel) would head towards the feature after running down the track in the Gr.1 Newmarket (1200m) while they are also targeting the A$1m Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2400m).

Walker said they had opted to freshen up Skew Wiff after she failed in the Newmarket last time out with the hope she can chase her first Australian Group One victory in Adelaide.

“It was a head scratcher,” Walker said on RadioTAB of the Newmarket run when she beat just one runner home.

“We put blinkers on her, and it backfired badly.

“She just over raced, she never looked like doing that when she had them on in track work, unfortunately things went really wrong that day.

“We gave her two weeks at the water walker, she’s going to go over to Adelaide and run in a lead-up two weeks before the Robert Sangster and if she ran well, she’ll run in the Robert Sangster,” he said.

Walker also said New Zealand Oaks placegetter Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor), who finished third behind the exciting Pulchritudinous (NZ) (Wrote), would be set for Adelaide.

“She ran third in the New Zealand Oaks, we’ve got a couple of others for Adelaide,” Walker added.

Walker said the last-start William Reid winner Imperatriz would have her final Australian start for the season in the $3m T J Smith Stakes in Sydney on Saturday week.

“She’ll race in the TJ Smith,” Walker said.

“She’ll go to Sydney on Thursday evening and race on the Saturday.

“She’s actually booked to fly home to New Zealand on Sunday for the spell,” he said.

Walker said they were yet to lock in a plan with many expecting the horse could have a tilt at the $20m Everest at Randwick on October 14.

“We’ll just get the TJ out of the way,” Walker said.

“We haven’t had any discussions about the spring as yet, there is plenty of possibilities,” he said.

View the full article