Gold Fever confirms Stakes prospects
Everything is falling into place for trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards as they plan to add New Zealand’s premier twoyear- old fillies’ race to last month’s Karaka Million win.
On Saturday at Te Rapa Gold Fever showed she was right on target for the J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders’ Stakes with an appropriate win in the Race A Horse With Te Akau – 2017 Karaka Million Stable.
As its name suggests, the 1200-metre juvenile race was sponsored by the same stable that houses Gold Fever, who was bought by David Ellis for $110,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale in January last year.
Within weeks the Savabeel filly’s older half-sister Gold Rush had won the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and now her sibling will have the chance to complete a notable family double on Saturday week.
Gold Fever was ridden on Saturday by Cameron Lammas, who was also in the saddle when she won on debut at Te Rapa in November.
Cameron, who had his best season for a decade when riding 67 winners last season and is already on 32 wins just past the halfway stage in the current term, became a father two weeks ago when his wife Tracey gave birth to their first child, a son named Blake. Matamata Breeders’ Stakes plans didn’t go anywhere near as smoothly on the weekend for Wexford Stables partners Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott.
One of their prospects for the big race, Miss Foxy Gal, had to be scratched at the barrier when she refused to be loaded into her starting gate.
A Breeders’ Stakes start will now depend on how she behaves in a barrier trial this week, replicating the scenario around Te Akau filly Sassy ‘N’ Smart, who went on to finish a nose second to Gold Rush in last year’s race. Graham Richardson left Te Rapa disappointed on Saturday when Volpe Veloce suffered defeat for the first time.
With seven wins behind her, she came up short to finish fourth when racing beyond 1600 metres for the first time and will now have a well-eared break ahead of an autumn campaign.