Excitement is building at Te Akau Racing’s Riccarton barn as New Zealand Cup Week draws nearer, with the stable once again holding a strong hand at their home meeting on Saturday.
The barn, led by assistant trainer Hunter Durrant, is set to line-up five favourites on the 10-race card, including Sword Of Stars and Hakkinen, who lead the markets for the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1400m) and Listed Pavilion Now Open Spring Classic (2000m) respectively.
Sword Of Stars has come of age as a three-year-old, with the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained filly placing behind stablemate Sweetest Thing in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) before scoring a two-length maiden win over 1200m at Timaru at the start of the month.
Durrant is looking forward to stepping her up to 1400m this weekend as she progresses towards next month’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
“She is a lovely filly that just wants to please,” he said. “She is a lovely-looking filly and is a horse that has looked great all winter, she has got an immaculate coat.
“She was really good first-up, she was really brave in the Canterbury Belle on that slightly off track, and we wanted her to get a bit of confidence and break maidens, and she got the job done at Timaru.
“She has trained on well and I don’t think we could have her in any better order ahead of Saturday, stepping up to 1400m.
“She has drawn well (4), she will get a nice run just in behind the speed. We have taken the side winkers off just to get her to try and relax a little bit, she needs to relax stepping up in distance, especially looking to the mile.”
Sword Of Stars will be joined in the War Decree Stakes by stakes-winning stablemate Zafar.
The Fortuna Racing colt was impressive when winning his sole start as a juvenile in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m), but he has failed to recapture that form in his three starts as a three-year-old.
Durrant is hoping he can show his true colours this weekend ahead of next month’s Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).
“He is a bit of a head scratching horse,” Durrant said. “He has got it there, he won a Listed race here as a two-year-old. He is a lovely colt and can definitely gallop, he shows us that at home, but he is just lacking that on raceday.
“We have done a few things to switch him up and keep him on his toes, and full cup blinkers go on. His work has been really good.”
Hakkinen has been faultless this spring, winning both of his starts in the south, and Durrant is hoping he can extend his winning sequence to three in the Spring Classic, where he will carry 53kg.
“He is getting in with a lovely weight,” he said. “He has come down to the South Island and put two nice dominant wins on the board, and I couldn’t be any happier with him.
“He worked on the course proper at Riccarton on Tuesday morning and worked super. He is coming into the right time of the spring with a really good form line.”
Hakkinen will be joined in the Spring Classic by stablemate Court Of Appeal, who is heading towards next month’s Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m).
She was runner-up in the North Canterbury Cup (2000m) at Riccarton last month, and Durrant is confident of a similar showing this weekend.
“She attacked the line well over 2000m, and over the same course and distance I can’t see why she can’t figure in it again,” he said. “Her work has been excellent, she looks outstanding and she has got the miles into her legs now to really put a dominant win on the board.”
Durrant is also upbeat about the chances of Never Too Much in the Pavilion Open Day – Check It Out Maiden (1400m) and Balance Of Power in the NZB Airfreight Road To Jericho (3000m).
“I think Never Too Much in the first is a nice horse, especially stepping up to 1400m,” Durrant said. “He has been a bit of a headscratcher at times, and he whacked away late at Timaru over 1200m, and we thought it was time to step up to the 1400m.
“Balance Of Power is in the Road to the Jericho. He has been up a long time, but he is a happy older gelding that is doing everything right.”
While Te Akau’s Riccarton barn has been in red-hot form, there is still plenty of firepower in their arsenal yet to arrive, including New Zealand 2000 Guineas favourite System Of Play and New Zealand 1000 Guineas favourite Asturia, with the former contesting the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa on Monday.
“If he (System Of Play) ran well he will book his ticket down here,” Durrant said. “He is a nice, promising horse that we are hopefully looking forward to having.
“The filly, Asturia, looks extremely exciting. She will fly down on the Wednesday before the 1000 Guineas, and she looks to be extremely dominant. I think the mile on a big, roomy track like Riccarton looks like it is really going to suit her.”
Amongst his current contingent, Durrant has high hopes for Group One performer Sweetest Thing in the 1000 Guineas, with the filly set to have an exhibition gallop on Saturday.
“Sweetest Thing is flying,” he said. “She was very unlucky, she copped big interference in the Barneswood Farm Stakes (Gr.3, 1400m, when fourth), and we are lucky that she came out of it unscathed and she has trained on well.
“She will have a gallop between races at Riccarton on Saturday. It was always the plan to miss the War Decree and go straight into the mile. She is a huge chance going into the 1000 Guineas and we couldn’t be any happier with her.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
