Milliondollar moment: Te Akau produces trifecta
WELLINGTON: You could forgive Te Akau Racing’s Jamie Richards for allowing himself a moment of celebration following the running of the Karaka Million 2yo (1200m) on Saturday evening.
In his first season in sole charge of the Te Akau Racing team, Richards had just provided the trifecta in New Zealand’s richest 2yrold race with Probabeel, Aotea Lad and deadheater Yourdeel.
While feeling a sense of satisfaction, Richards admitted his overwhelming emotion was that of relief.
‘‘I was pretty relieved after the race, to be honest,’’ he said.
‘‘Once you get to race day there’s not much more you can do; you just have to have faith in your horse and the jockey on top of it.
‘‘We were really happy with our horses until we got to the barrier draw, where our three best chances drew outside.
‘‘Thankfully, there was good speed in the race and I think the filly that won is quite a classy horse. She can do things that other horses don’t.’’
While reluctant to split Te Akau’s five runners in the final field, Richards was clear that Probabeel looked to be the stable’s best chance of success based on her leadup form.
‘‘If she hadn’t have drawn the outside, she was clearly our best chance,’’ he said.
‘‘She’s a filly that has a lot of Xfactor about her. She’s not a natural twoyear as she’s a big, scopey filly, so whatever she is doing at the moment is a bonus for the future.’’
Richards also said applying blinkers for the race had also bolstered his hopes.
‘‘We’d given her quite a bit of work at home in the blinkers, as the first couple of times she raced she lacked a bit of ringcraft.
‘‘After she had a freshenup, we gave her a jumpout with the blinkers on and she really went well.’’
Richardson said Probabeel would most likely head to the paddock for a few days before a discussion with owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay about options for her in the autumn.
With the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka beginning yesterday, Richards’ attention is now on working with Te Akau boss David Ellis to select the next crop of youngsters for the stable.
‘‘It’s a pretty busy time out here [Karaka] as we try and buy the next good horse,’’ he said.
‘‘We work pretty hard through the summer and enjoy a bit of a break in the winter, so we will soldier on for now and celebrate our success when we do get the chance.’’ — NZ Racing Desk