Resurgent When Stars Align heads Te Akau’s Tauranga double

[Wandering Eyes]

Te Akau Racing collected a race-to-race double at Tauranga on Saturday, including a highly satisfying return to winning form by When Stars Align (NZ) (Zoustar) in the Stonewood Homes 1200.

A well-related son of Zoustar bought by David Ellis for $400,000 as a yearling at Karaka in 2023, When Stars Align showed bright promise in the early stages of his career. He was a debut winner at Trentham as a two-year-old, then contested the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) in only his second start.

He returned at three to place behind star colt Savaglee at Taupo, followed by a third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton. But he pulled up lame when finishing at the tail of the field in Savaglee’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), prompting trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson to send him for a spell and have him gelded.

On Saturday, on the anniversary of that 2000 Guineas disappointment, When Stars Align was right back at the peak of his powers.

Sent straight to the lead by jockey Corentin Berge, When Stars Align dominated the $40,000 Rating 65 sprint from the front and kicked away in the straight to win by a length and a half.

“It’s great to see him back in the winner’s circle,” Walker said. “It’s not that he’s lacked ability, but it took a bit of time after he was gelded to return to form and the owners have been really patient with him.

“Winning his first run back as a four-year-old is a good sign and hopefully he will gain confidence from the win and he can go on to a higher level.”

In the very next race on the card, stablemate Charmrose (NZ) (Charm Spirit) repeated the dose with a front-running victory of her own in the Tauranga Hardware & Plumbing 1200.

The daughter of Charm Spirit was a last-start winner of a Rating 65 sprint at Ellerslie on October 18, and she stepped up to Rating 75 grade on Saturday and went back-to-back.

Bred and raced by Dave and Nicky Hurst, Charmrose has now had 11 starts for three wins, five placings and $93,705 in stakes.

“It was another really good win by the mare and good to keep the winning streak going for Dave and Nicky,” Walker said.

“She was very well rated in front by Wiremu (Pinn) and she’s come of age as an older mare. She can be a handful in track work, but our riders have got her well under control and she’s in great form.”

Ellis noted that the Hursts are long-standing clients of the Te Akau stable.

“Dave and Nicky have been such loyal supporters of Te Akau for many years and they’ve bred a really up-and-coming mare in Charmrose,” he said.

“The first syndicate they came into was King’s Chapel, who won the equivalent race that is now the Karaka Millions (1200m), the 2000 Guineas (1600m), Telegraph (1200m), three Group One races, and was New Zealand Horse of the Year before standing at stud.

“They were also in one of our champion two-year-olds, Maroofity, who also won three Group One races, and Costa Viva who won the 1000 Guineas (1600m) and was named New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.”

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