Racing: Te Akau juveniles to the fore at Te Teko

Cool Aza Beel won his heat by two lengths. Photo / Trish Dunell

Te Teko has come to be a great starting point for many of Te Akau's top 2-year-olds and trainer Jamie Richards is hoping this year is no different.

"It's always an important date on the calendar for our team," Richards said. "We have been fortunate this year with the use of the Te Rapa inside trials track, which has allowed us to get a trial into some of the horses during July rather than having to wait until Te Teko.

"But it's always an important date for us to kick-off the 2-year-olds especially."

Te Akau dominated the 2-year-old heats at the Bay of Plenty track yesterday, taking out all three 630m heats.

Richards is excited about the prospects of many of the stable's juveniles at the dawn of the new season.

"We have got some lovely 2-year-olds around us," Richards said. "David [Ellis, Te Akau principal] was as strong as he has ever been at the yearling sales and hopefully that is going to stand us in good stead for the upcoming season.

"We have got some lovely horses that David bought and some lovely horses to train for outside clients, which is really exciting as well."

One of those outside clients is Chris Rutten, who has a successful association with Richards through last season's dual Group One-winning juvenile Yourdeel.

Rutten purchased a Bullpoint colt for $100,000 out of Brighthill Farm's New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft this year and Richards thinks he might have another promising juvenile on his hands going by his heat win yesterday.

"Chris has a knack of picking them out at the sale," Richards said. "It is a real privilege to have a horse in the stable for him, especially after we have had to say goodbye to Yourdeel, so hopefully this horse can fill the void.

"He's a bit of an immature horse but I think once he puts it all together he could hopefully turn into a Karaka Million horse."

Richards was also pleased with the performance of More Than Ready colt Ready For This, who ran home well to deadheat his trial.

"I was really happy with him," Richards said. "When he got on the right leg halfway down he really attacked the line strongly. He's a beautiful horse, he looks like a readymade 2-year-old — a small to medium size with plenty of strength."

Te Akau's other 2-year-old trial winner, Cool Aza Beel, won his heat by two lengths and he reminds Richards of a quality juvenile from last season. "He's a Savabeel colt from a very fast Australian family that Dave bought off Fairdale. He's a nice horse," Richards said.

"He reminds me a lot of Aotea Lad, so hopefully he can live up to something like what he did as a 2-year-old." Aotea Lad won the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) on debut at Trentham last season before finishing runner-up in three consecutive stakes races.

The 3-year-old son of Savabeel also kicked off his season at Te Teko yesterday. "All going well he will kick-off at Ruakaka in that 3-year-old 1200m (Northland Breeders' Stakes, Gr.3) up there."

Another Te Akau 3-year-old that Richards thought was impressive in her trial was Rhapsody In Blue.

"I like the way she found the line," he said.

- NZ Racing Desk