Progressive three-year-old gelding Tena Koutou made it three on the bounce, and a first at stakes level, in Saturday’s Listed Aquanita Stakes (200m) at Belmont Park.
Ridden by Clint Johnston-Porter for trainer Adam Durrant, the son of Blackfriars came clear in the closing stages to defeat the Fiorente (IRE) gelding Crescent City by two lengths with the Reliable Man (GB) gelding Truly Reliable a head back in third.
Having broken his maiden at Kalgoorlie on June 13, Tena Koutou advances his record to three wins, two seconds and one third from seven starts with earnings of
“We do a lot of trips to Kalgoorlie with horses starting off in maidens. It doesn’t hurt them to go up there, it’s good practice, and we have found it does them no harm,” stable representative Jason Miller said.
“We were quietly confident. All his work at home has been good, and he is a progressive type.
“Everything he has done this prep, he is getting better and better.”
A three-quarter brother to Listed winner and Group 1 Victoria Derby third Kia Ora Koutou, Tena Koutou is the only foal to race to date out of the 4-time winner Aloha Miss.
A daughter of Hurricane Sky, Aloha Miss, is out of the Jeune mare Kia Ora Miss, who on this day in 2006 won the Listed WATC Belmont Oaks.
A homebred for the Durrant and Wison families, Tena Koutou, has an unraced 2yo sister named Constant Dreaming, who comes from the final crop of Blackfriars.
Aloha Miss has a weanling colt by Snippetson and was bred back to the Scenic Lodge Thoroughbred Stud stallion last spring.
Tena Koutou becomes the 44th stakes-winner for Danehill’s Victoria Derby winner Blackfriars who died in December 2017.
