Horse racing: Underdog trainer Tony Pike eyeing upset in Matamata with Pacific Dragon

Trainer Tony Pike. Photo / Getty

Trainer Tony Pike is taking on racing giants Te Akau at their own game at Matamata today and will attempt to do it again at the looming yearling sales.

Pike trains brave filly Pacific Dragon who looks the only real danger to a Jamie Richards domination of the $110,000 J Swap Breeders Stakes, in which Richards has Maven Belle, I Choose You and Hanalei.

Richards has become nearly impossible to beat in most juvenile race and even more so in black type ones but Pacific Dragon's jump and run style has seen her beat Richards-trained young guns in two of her last three starts.

She wasn't quite so lucky in the one that really matters, with a wide draw seeing her settle back and storm home for fifth in the Karaka Million last month, a performance that suggests she won't be outclassed today.

Pacific Dragon has barrier two and an in-form Leith Innes so will give the Richards and Te Akau horses something to chase.

"She has never let us down and the draw helps so we are confident she will go a big race," says Pike.

He also has an untapped representative in Stimulant in today's $80,000 Fairview Matamata Slipper, which quite remarkably doesn't have a Richards-trained runner.

Stimulant is already a race winner albeit in weaker South Island company but clearly has speed and today's race provides he and his rivals a rare group 3 opportunity without the country's top stable getting in their way.

While Pike has a strong hand today he is also strengthening his firepower for the Karaka yearling sales which start on March 7.

Te Akau, led by David Ellis, are the undoubted kings of the Karaka sales but Pike has been a major player in recent seasons, with some of his biggest and most successful buys being for a group of high-profile owners he banded together to purchase high quality colts.

"We have had huge success for those guys in what we call our colt syndicate and they are basically back in again so we will be trying to continue that run," says Pike.

"But we also want to buy some quality fillies and target some early running horses for the two-year-old races next season," says Pike.

"We want to bring new people into the stable, and the industry, so we have registered Pike Racing as a syndication business as well, which is what you need to do to be advertising for syndicate members.

"That will be a new focus for us at the sales this year and while we have nothing but respect for what the other big syndicators like Te Akau and Go Racing have been able to achieve we think a little extra competition can only be good for the industry, and ultimately the sales."

There may be no beating Te Akau in the group one at today's major meeting at Otaki, with Amarelinha favourite and Brando and Markus Aurelius giving them two other huge chances in the El Cheapo Cars Mile.

There will be plenty of Kiwi interest across the Tasman too with Verry Elleegant looking perfectly suited by the wet track in the group one Chipping Norton at Randwick while it is Blue Diamond and Futurity Day at Caulfield.