Chief Stipe Posted Saturday at 07:55 PM Share Posted Saturday at 07:55 PM Karaka Millions: Te Akau takes out mega money double at Ellerslie www.nzherald.co.nz It targets the Millions every year and has its 2-year-old and 3-year-old machines so well-oiled the tangerine colours strike fear into rival trainers. That hadn’t been the case so much at the new Ellerslie with its StrathAyr track but trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson righted that ledger last night. They were aided by two Australian supermen of the saddle, Craig Williams not panicking when copping pressure on La Dorada and then Blake Shinn being patient from the wide gate on Damask Rose. La Dorada set up the double domination by leading, being slightly pressured but kicking clear in just her third start. The neat daughter of Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth, she cost Te Akau boss David Ellis $190,000 at the sales last year. “We trained her dam [Gold Fever] too and she was a very good filly so a family we know well,” said Ellis. “This is a race and a night that means so much to us. To continue to win it for our owners means the world to us, especially on sales’ eve. “Then to come out and have Damask Rose win like that, well that makes me feel very proud. “We put a lot of effort into buying these horses but that is only the start. “The staff at the stables work so hard and a lot of people in our syndicates get a lot of joy out of what that work produces.” The wins set Te Akau up for a shot at a richer double at the biggest meeting held in New Zealand, the new Champions Day being held at Ellerslie on March 8. Damask Rose is already in Te Akau’s slot for the new $3.5m NZB Kiwi slot race, and is now eligible for a huge money bonus after winning tonight’s race. That same day La Dorada will chase a Group 1 in the Sistema Stakes, the ultimate goal for any sprinting juvenile filly, being worth far more than a winning stakes. As dominant as the Te Akau fillies were there was plenty to admire in the beaten brigade in both races. Runner-up Vega For Luck was excellent in the juvenile while Miss Ziggy gave the South Island a rare Karaka Millions placing, and favourite To Bravery Born was fourth without a lot going right. In the 3-Year-Old event, runner-up Tuxedo was excellent while Dealt With was brave in just his third start after leading and confirming he will be a player in the NZB Kiwi, which he secured a slot in on Saturday morning, while Bourbon Proof ran on well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted Saturday at 08:00 PM Share Posted Saturday at 08:00 PM You mean to say NZB Kiwi day is going to be bigger and better than KM night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted Saturday at 08:06 PM Author Share Posted Saturday at 08:06 PM 5 minutes ago, Huey said: You mean to say NZB Kiwi day is going to be bigger and better than KM night? Well it would be a great occasion if it was. The rest home might put on transport for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted Saturday at 08:14 PM Share Posted Saturday at 08:14 PM 7 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Well it would be a great occasion if it was. The rest home might put on transport for you. Not sure I could handle all that noise CS, but I'll be watching for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Saturday at 08:16 PM Share Posted Saturday at 08:16 PM 1 minute ago, Huey said: Not sure I could handle all that noise CS, but I'll be watching for sure. Btw, what was with all the annoying background noise on TS from there and the dreadful vision quality on TS premier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted Saturday at 08:17 PM Share Posted Saturday at 08:17 PM Just now, curious said: Btw, what was with all the annoying background noise on TS from there and the dreadful vision quality on TS premier? Not sure I picked it up, CS will know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted Saturday at 08:33 PM Author Share Posted Saturday at 08:33 PM 1 minute ago, curious said: Btw, what was with all the annoying background noise on TS from there and the dreadful vision quality on TS premier? There has been a periodic background noise like a truck drive by for a while now but I suspect you are talking about something else. The Trackside Premier channel seems to be streamed rather than broadcast so it is subject to internet network constraints. So when bandwidth is constrained or there is a bottle neck the vision quality deteriorates. That's my theory. The noise you could also be due to network constraints with the bit rate on the audio channel being throttled. I also suspect that the infrastructure at Ellerslie hasn't been upgraded...yet. Some of the cabling and oncourse links look really dodgy and I got lost recently and opened a door to a hidden room high in the stand where I stumbled across technical staff working with computers and comms equipment. It all looked in need of an upgrade but to be fair that was only a two second look as it was obvious I was in the wrong place. The Trackside Premier vision is poor and has been from day one. I wouldn't be surprised also that it is leveraged off the failed Spark foray into sports broadcasting and I'm sure there is a tie up with the Duke channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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