Ellerslie’s inaugural Champions Day was a memorable one for New Zealand’s leading stable, Te Akau Racing, with their tangerine and blue silks taking out two of the major prizes.
Exciting juvenile Return To Conquer extended his unbeaten streak to four when taking out the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), posting Te Akau’s tenth Group One victory in the process, while their star filly Damask Rose put in an eye-catching rails run to win the inaugural edition of the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).
“It was hard to believe what was happening, it was such a fantastic day of racing, and it was so busy, it was almost over in a flash,” said Te Akau co-trainer Sam Bergerson.
“Everyone was there, and I had family and friends up. It was a great occasion and one I will never forget.”
Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) was the headline act of the stacked 10-race card, with her NZB Kiwi win pairing nicely with her $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) heroics at the Auckland track just weeks prior.
“We don’t think we could have had her any better. It (preparation) has been faultless, and with horses it is not always that way,” said Bergerson, who trains in partnership with Mark Walker.
“For her, since the Karaka Millions, she had kept going to the next level and everything we asked of her she just kept ticking the boxes. We were so pleased with her trial, and she was just doing everything well in the stable, her work was so good on Tuesday and she looked fantastic.
“We thought if she was good enough she would be quite hard to beat.”
With the victory, Damask Rose extended her season tally to three wins and one placing from five starts, with earnings north of $2 million, and she will now head for a break before a likely tilt at another hefty purse in the spring.
“She is off for a well-deserved break,” Bergerson said. “We have peaked her twice for the Karaka Millions and NZB Kiwi, it would be hard to go again.
“We will bring her back and potentially aim her at a Golden Eagle (A$10 million, 1500m) prep now that she has got the golden ticket into it.
“We think the world is her oyster and we still think there is a bit of upside there.”
Star juvenile stablemate Return To Conquer (Snitzel) will also head to the spelling paddock following Saturday’s win, where he put a shiver through punters’ spines when just holding off outsider Landlock to win by a head and reward his backers who shortened him into a $1.70 favourite.
“Speaking to Blake (Shinn, jockey) post-race, he was going to win easily and then he got to the front and pulled himself up a little bit. He just does what he has to, he is just a laidback customer,” Bergerson said.
“It is not easy to do what he has done, he is four from four, and he has gone up against some pretty decent horses going forward.
“He is off for a well-deserved break now as well. It was quite a tough run on Saturday and would have been too hard to turn him around in two weeks’ time for the Golden Slipper (Gr.1, 1200m). He is another one to look forward to next season.”
While proud of the efforts of his two feature winners, Bergerson was also pleased with the performance of Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor), who extended her Group One placing sequence to three when running third behind El Vencedor and La Crique in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
“She is running well against some good weight-for-age horses,” Bergerson said. “There is not a lot to her, but she is all heart.
“I am really proud of her effort, she got a lovely run in transit. On the corner I thought she travelled into it, but those two good horses kicked clear and she was really game sticking on for third.
“She is another who is heading for a well-deserved break. We are gutted she didn’t get her Group One, but she has had a fantastic season nonetheless and we are a big believer that if you can spell the horses now while the weather is still warm, they absolutely blossom and thrive.
“We will get her back in in early May and hopefully set her for the triple crown series here in New Zealand.”
Te Akau opened the card in winning fashion when Francee (NZ) (Iffraaj) took out the $120,000 Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m) in the silks of owner-breeder Haunui Farm, and she is now in line for a stakes assignment.
“I was stoked for Mark and Sarah Chitty,” Bergerson said. “She hadn’t had a lot of luck over the past season, she kept drawing wide. She had a bit of sticky gate on Saturday and it wasn’t smooth-sailing. Halfway down (the straight) I thought she was only battling but fair play to Gryllsy (Craig Grylls, jockey), he kept at her, and she was really tough, she was strong through the line and it was awesome to win a race like that with the bonus for the team.
“If there is a flight, we may look at trying to get her down south (Riccarton) for the South Island Breeders’ (Gr.3, 1600m) next Saturday.”
