Horse racing: Mark Walker snares Group 1 in Adelaide as team fires at home

Mark Walker trained a Group 1 winner in Adelaide, while the New Zealand stable had a huge day at home. Photo / LoveRacing

It was a true Anzac Day for Te Akau Racing on Saturday, with the transtasman operation scoring stakes success in both Australia and New Zealand.

They started the day off strong in New Zealand, where Drops Of God won the Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes at Te Rapa and Perlino took out the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes at Riccarton.

Buoyed by its Kiwi success, their Cranbourne barn wasn’t to be out done, taking two runners across state lines to Adelaide, where Geegees Mistruth got her nose in front to win the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m), while stablemate Wonderful Sky was runner-up in the Group 3 Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

Entrusted to the care of Mark Walker early in the season, Geegees Mistruth fired early, placing in her first three outings for the stable, including the Group 2 Herald Sun Sprint (1000m), Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) and Listed W.J. Adams Stakes (1000m).

She was then given a crack at elite-level in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield in February, but she failed to jump.

She backed up in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) a fortnight later at Flemington, where she finished midfield in the Group 1 Newmarket (1200m) before she bounced back to finish runner-up over 1100m at Ballarat earlier this month.

Walker and assistant trainer Ben Gleeson had been pleased with her work prior to her South Australian debut on Saturday and she duly put in the performance of her life when storming home late to get up on the line in a blanket finish.

“It was a very satisfying win in Adelaide,” Walker said. “Her barrier manners had been well-documented after rearing at the start and taking no part in the Oakleigh Plate, but we entrusted the help of Julien Welsh and his wonderful team to help with the barriers.

“Ben [Gleeson] and I were impressed when watching her work together on Monday and Laura Winks, who rides her, said it was an outstanding piece of work.

“It’s great for the owners, they’ve been great supporters and they have flown over from Tasmania for her races. They went through the low in February on Oakleigh Plate Day at Caulfield and now the high of today.

“She’s only a 4-year-old and she’s going to continue to be a really nice mare going forward as well, and obviously now as a Group One winner, it’s the ultimate for them.”

Bred and raced by Elizabeth Geard Racing, Geegees Mistruth has now won seven of her 19 starts, six of those victories recorded for previous trainer Stuart Gandy, and she has earned nearly $1.3 million in prizemoney.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk