Avantage takes victory after gritty Otaki battle
Avantage continues to march into the realms of super stardom.
AVANTAGE continued her march into the realms of super stardom when she made it career Group I No 8, with a gritty win in the Group I El Cheapo Cars WeightFor-Age Classic (1600 metres) at Otaki yesterday.
Unbeaten in three starts, all at Group I level in her current campaign, Avantage was confidently expected to take Otaki’s elite feature to make it four in a row and she duly obliged under a confident ride from Opie Bosson.
Bosson had the Fastnet Rock mare positioned perfectly outside the pacemaker Deerfield throughout, before issuing a confident challenge at the 300m.
Kept up to her work by Bosson, Avantage held out a gallant late bid from Callsign Mav – who had tracked all the way – and took the victory by half a length, with Travelling Light showing her best form of late with a nice run into third.
Bosson was full of praise for the effort by his mount, who showed all her fighting qualities during the final 100m to hold out Callsign Mav.
‘‘The plan was to go forward and ride her positively early,’’ Bosson said. ‘‘We got into a little bit of trouble when Deerfield came across us, but she came back off him, relaxed nicely and did everything right.
‘‘I could see him (Callsign Mav) out of the corner of my eye, but once I gave her a few backhanders she put her head out and had a crack.
‘‘That just shows you how good a racehorse she is.’’
With trainer Jamie Richards busy back on his home track at Matamata, his father Paul travelled with the mare to Otaki and he was thrilled with the result. ‘‘Halfway down the straight she had a fight on her hands and she found plenty,’’ he said.
‘‘She is an amazing athlete who has been doing this since she was a two-year-old and there is still plenty ahead of her.
‘‘She will travel home and the team will look after her, but I think at this stage her next target could be the Bonecrusher Stakes (Group I, 2000m) at Ellerslie.’’
Jamie Richards confirmed that the (Group I Bonecrusher Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on March 13 would be the next race on the card for Avantage, provided she progressed well from her efforts at Otaki.
He also confirmed a trip to Australia in autumn was being considered, although no definite arrangements had yet been made.
Earlier, trainer Jamie Richards and the Te Akau Racing team entered Saturday’s Group III Waikato Stud Slipper (1200m) on their home patch at Matamata with a strong hand and produced the quinella in the juvenile feature for the colts and geldings.
Richards lined up the unbeaten Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner On The Bubbles, along with stablemates Sword Of State and Avonallo, with On The Bubbles sent out a commanding $1.80 favourite by punters.
Supporters of On The Bubbles were well on terms with themselves as the favourite slotted easily into a handy position on a solid pace set up by Sword Of
State. Rider Johnathan Parkes had him out to challenge on the home turn and momentarily looked a threat to the pacemaker.
However, it was Sword Of
State, the public’s second-elect at $3, who found the best kick as he tore away from On The Bubbles and his other eight rivals in the home straight to win untouched by 6 lengths in a slick 1.08.78 for the 1200m journey. ‘‘He won well,’’ Richards said.
‘‘He jumped nicely, travelled really well and railed beautifully.
‘‘The rail is definitely the place to be today and when he got terms to suit, he was always going to be hard to beat.
‘‘I thought On The Bubbles was very good as well as that was his first start since the Karaka Million.’’
On The Bubbles will get his chance to turn the tables on his stablemate at Ellerslie in a fortnight when they tackle the Group I Sistema Stakes (1200m), a venue where Richards believes he will be suited.
‘‘They are both heading to the Sistema Stakes on Auckland Cup day,’’ he said. ‘‘I think On The Bubbles is a touch better suited going that way around and . . . he will be very competitive.
‘‘Sword Of State does hold a nomination for the Golden Slipper (Gr.1, 1200m) in Sydney but we’re not really thinking about that too much as he doesn’t have the prizemoney in the bin as yet to get a start in the race.’’
Bred by Sir Owen Glenn,
Sword Of State was a $600,000 purchase by Te Akau boss David Ellis CNZM from the Gold Coast sales last year. By Snitzel, he is the first foal from Encosta De Lago mare In the Vanguard.