Hot favourite Lara Antipova centrepiece of home track day for Te Akau Racing

Lara Antipova bolted in for jockey Opie Bosson and Te Akau Racing at Matamata on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright

Te Akau Racing continued their golden run in the J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes on Saturday when recording their fifth consecutive victory in the race courtesy of Lara Antipova.

The daughter of Russian Revolution was impressive when winning on debut at Te Aroha in November for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham a month later, and was well-supported by punters in her fresh-up run on Saturday, backed into a $1.20 favourite.

From her outside draw, Lara Antipova had a fair bit of speed inside her, but jockey Opie Bosson let his charge balance up and soon sent her forward to capture the lead from the 900m mark.

Te Encuentro and Hawea loomed up alongside her rounding for home but Bosson pushed the go button at the top of the straight and Lara Antipova quickly bounded away, improving her advantage with every stride, eventually running out a 3-1/4 length victor over Te Encuentro, with a further three-quarters of a length back to Hawea in third.

“She is a very special filly,” Bosson said.

“She wasn’t 100% in the ground and she had a bit of a stumble turning in but that actually made her pick the bit up a bit more and she got up underneath me. She is pure class.

“She was a little bit fresh and a little bit keen early in the running, but with that run under her belt she is only going to improve.”

The Matamata Breeders’ Stakes has been a springboard for previous stable winners, with Maven Belle, Captured By Love and La Dorada all going on to win at elite-level, and that’s the goal with Lara Antipova.

She will get that opportunity at her next start in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, which Te Akau won last year with Return To Conquer, who will join Waikato Stud’s stallion roster this coming breeding season.

“She is a very good filly,” Walker said. “The next port of call will be the Sistema and then all going well and if she was still 100%, you would consider going over to Australia. We do think a lot of her.

“It is great for John and Jessica [Galvin] and the Fortuna team to have another nice one.”

Lara Antipova was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, in conjunction with Fortuna Racing, for A$100,000 out of Vinery Stud’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Cost Yearling Sale draft.

Her prominence extends the run of success the two entities have shared over the past few years, which includes 14-time Group 1 winner Melody Belle and Group 1 performer Bellatrix Star.

Lara Antipova has won all three of her career starts to date and has earned more than $240,000 in prize money.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk