Shark and Probabeel bury Randwick rivals
Matamata’s Jamie Richards labelled it his best day as trainer after Te Akau Shark brilliantly won the $NZ700,000 Chipping Norton Stakes to make it a stable Group 1 double at Randwick yesterday.
Te Akau Shark came to Randwick loaded with expectations. He delivered with enormous turn of foot to take the weight-for-age mile.
He ran 32.59sec for his final 600m to storm by Verry Elleegant in the closing stage and win by half-a-length.
A race earlier, Probabeel won the $570K Surround Stakes, also ridden by top Kiwi hoop Opie Bosson.
‘‘He [Shark] has always had that potential, and for him to win a Group 1 here, means we don’t need to use that word anymore,’’ said Richards.
‘‘To have Probabeel win the Surround Stakes as well, it is just a great day.’’
Richards was aware of another gelding making a name for himself in Aussie-trained Alligator Blood, which won the Australian Guineas at Flemington as Kiwi hope Catalyst ran a moderate sixth.
Richards and Bosson embraced with the smiles telling the story, but both headed straight to the airport.
‘‘If we stay here I don’t know when we would get home, it been a big day,’’ Richards said.
Bosson could have ridden Dragon Leap (fourth) in the New Zealand Derby but he was never going to give the ride on Te Akau
Shark. ‘‘He’s got stronger this time in. He’s just so laid back about things. He doesn’t know how good he is. He is untapped still.’’ Te Akau Shark was 10 lengths off the speed set by Dreamforce coming to the turn, but when he dropped into another gear there was confidence about Bosson.
‘‘Once we balanced up in straight, I knew we’d pick him up,’’ he said. ‘‘It was great and there’s plenty more to come.’’
Richards will target the George Ryder Stakes and then the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Probabeel finally fulfilled her potential after storming to victory with a stunning surge.
Kiwi hoop James McDonald gave Funstar the perfect ride, hitting the front at the 200m mark and looking the winner. But Probabeel was too strong in the final drive to the line.
‘‘She is one of the lazy horses — I just got myself into a little bit of a pocket when she hit a bit of a flat spot. I’m just lucky enough that this filly was good enough to get me out of it,’’ said Bosson.