Jockey Kerrin McEvoy brings Atishu back at he head of the field following her outstanding fresh up win over 1400m at Randwick last Saturday.
Dannevirke racehorse owner Dean Shuker certainly had plenty to shout about last Saturday after Atishu's outstanding Australian debut win in Sydney.
Shuker owns a 5 per cent share in the Savabeel 4-year-old and is one of 19 shareholders in the mare.
Atishu, having her first start from the famous Chris Waller stable, made it five wins in a row with a commanding victory in a A$130,000 Rating 88 race over 1400m at Randwick, in Sydney.
The Savabeel mare was expected to need the run in what was her first start since she won the Listed Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton on April 24.
But, after settling fifth in the early stages of the 1400m event, rider Kerrin McEvoy brought her out into the clear at the top of the home straight and she powered home to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
The talented mare won four in a row while trained in New Zealand by Cambridge-based Stephen Marsh and now boasts a record of five wins, two seconds and two thirds for $158,000 in prizemoney.
It is still a lot less than the $260,000 she cost to buy at the 2019 Karaka yearling sales but she looks to have an immensely bright future and will now be aimed at rich Australian races in the spring.
Atishu obviously provided the star turn for the New Zealand-based Go Racing Syndication group at Randwick last Saturday but impressive performances by Skyman and Stardome at other venues on the same day also augers well for their spring assignments.
Skyman, in his first start for more than four months, went down by a head when second over 1500m at The Valley in Melbourne while Stardome also recorded a good fresh up second over 1835m at Eagle Farm, in Brisbane.
The results from the three runners certainly gave Auckland-based Albert Bosma and his Go Racing team just cause to celebrate.
For Bosma, the fresh up win by Atishu vindicated the potential he and former trainer Stephen Marsh saw in the daughter of Savabeel before being transferred to the Chris Waller stable in Sydney.
"That was a hell of a lot of fun seeing her (Atishu) put in that sort of performance fresh-up as we have thought for the last nine months or so that she could be the best horse we have ever had," Bosma said.
"She had never won first-up before and was at a distance we probably considered short of her best on Saturday and she pretty much won it on her ear."
The win did provide a double-edged sword for Bosma and Waller as they plot a path during the spring for Atishu, with options that include the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and A$7.5million Golden Eagle (1500m) or a visit to Melbourne for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
"While it was something special to witness it gave us no clarity whatsoever moving forward," Bosma joked.
"I did have a good chat with Chris afterwards and he was still in two minds, like I am, about where to go with her.
"Her pedigree says she will run 2400m, but she is running so well over shorter distances that we think she will be competitive between 1400m and 2400m no matter where she goes.
I must say I am leaning towards the Golden Eagle as she is still only four and has plenty of time to consider a Caulfield Cup next season.
"At this stage I believe she will run at Randwick over 1500m next and if she performs to expectations there then we will make plans for the Golden Eagle, whereas if she proves a little dour in that second-up run then we can aim for the Caulfield Cup instead."
That Bosma has had success with Waller is no coincidence as he has been in the expat Kiwi's camp since first establishing a friendship with him when he was operating out of his Foxton base during the 1990s before making the move to the red-hot racing environment in Sydney.
"Back when my business partner Pat Vinaccia had horses with Chris in the 1990s he encouraged me to send a horse to him," Bosma said.
"When we bought Silky Red Boxer, we gave it to him and he did a fantastic job.
"When Chris moved to Sydney, we sent Silky over to him and ever since then we have had a horse or two with him. That has obviously ramped up in recent years and we are just thrilled with how he has done and the fantastic job he does with our horses."
With an abundance of positive feedback from the recently completed synthetic tracks at both Cambridge and Riccarton, Central Districts trainers are looking forward to being able to race on a similar surface in their own backyard next year.
As part of a $72.5 million emergency support package from the Government last year, the racing industry received up to $20 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) to contribute towards the construction of three synthetic tracks at Cambridge, Riccarton, and Awapuni.
The Cambridge track was completed last year and hosted its first race meeting in May, while the Riccarton track was unveiled earlier this month and received a welcome response from southern trainers.
Awapuni is the final one to be completed, with construction set to start later this year.
"We are just going through the tendering process at the moment. That will close in mid-September and we are looking to start construction in early November," Awapuni Racing general manager Kim Treweek said.
While PGF funding has partially paid for the construction of the synthetic track, Treweek said the club has had to fund the remainder.
"Being able to offset that cost against some of the development of land we have has been helpful. We have almost got that box ticked now," Treweek said.
While Awapuni will be the last of the three tracks built, Treweek said that has its advantages.
"You get more confidence within the industry," he said.
"There were a lot of questions pre-Cambridge around how good they were. I think Cambridge has proven that off the bat that it is a big add-on to the industry, particularly around this time of year.
"I was down in Christchurch for the National week and they had been through a tough month with wet weather and to get on the synthetic track was such a big positive for the local trainers.
"We have also had learnings from the construction process. The same engineer has been used for all three projects."
Treweek said a synthetic surface will be a godsend for racing in the region, particularly over winter.
"If we didn't get a synthetic track in the Central Districts it would have meant more horses would have gone north," he said.
The Awapuni build will have its challenges, with less room to work with in comparison to its two predecessors.
"The synthetic track will go inside (the turf track)," Treweek said. "We will have a sheet that runs across the course proper inside our 1600m chute, which is a little bit unique, but it has been done overseas so it's not a first.
"That's where the camber of the track is going to come into play. We are looking at just under a 1600m circumference. If we get up to a 6 per cent camber that will help greatly with those smaller tracks.
"In saying that, some of the information that we have received from our engineer, and from overseas, it is still a comparative size to Hong Kong and Singapore."
Treweek said the synthetic surface will also be a welcome addition for local trainers at the Palmerston North track.
"At Awapuni we have been in debt for a long time so we haven't been able to put a lot of money into tracks and facilities. An upgrade like this is going to be huge," he said.
Hawke's Bay Racing is delighted the connections of multiple Group 1 winning mare Avantage have decided to race her in New Zealand for the early part of the spring.
The Fastnet Rock mare is down to kick off a fresh campaign in today's Group 2 $110,000 Valachi Downs Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa, pending an alert level downgrade.
It is good news for spring racing in New Zealand, with the nine-time Group 1 winner promising to be a drawcard at this year's Bostock New Zealand Hawke's Bay Spring carnival before a later spring raid in Melbourne is considered.
After winning the Foxbridge Plate fresh-up last season, Avantage placed in the three Group 1 legs of the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown — Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Livamol Classic (2040m).
Avantage turned in a pleasing piece of work over 1000m on the Matamata course proper on Tuesday in company with smart 3-year-old I Wish I Win.
"She worked well. I'm pleased with her. They ran a nice bit of time and the track was good," Richards said.
"Certainly the first two legs of Hastings are on the cards and then we will just be a bit open minded about the third leg and assess closer to the time."
The first leg of the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown is the $220,00 Tarzino Trophy on September 11, followed by the $220,000 Windsor Park Plate on October 2 and the $250,000 Livamol Classic on October 16.
The A$1 million Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on October 30 at Flemington has become an enticing target for the mare as she is eligible for a A$1m bonus should she win, having triumphed in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) in April, one of 12 bonus-qualifying races.
Star mare Verry Elleegant will be given a similar campaign to the one she had last year after her game first-up run for second in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller said the 6-year-old's next two runs would replicate the ones she had last campaign, which also mirrors the path star mare Winx took when she won the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) in 2017 and 2018.
The Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) is also a possibility for Verry Elleegant this season after she finished seventh in the 2020 renewal.
"It was a pretty quick track last Saturday so for her to do that first-up over 1400 metres was pretty brave. Not many horses in Australia could do that and we know that she'll train on well after the race," Waller said.
"I'd be thinking the George Main then the Turnbull or the race in Sydney, it's the Hill Stakes or the Craven Plate. If she goes through to the Melbourne Cup we want to have a bit of mileage in her legs."
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