Four Wins Just Fabulous

My four beats your two was the hand trainer Donna Logan played on Sunday night at Kranji racecourse in Singapore.

One behind premiership leader Tim Fitzsimmons beginning the meeting, Logan saddled four winners: Speedy Missile, Legacy Fortune, Trident and Charminton, to arrest the lead with 41 wins this season.

Training since 2018 in Singapore, Logan officially joined Te Akau Racing on 1 January, taking over from Mark Walker, who returned home to train the Te Akau team at Matamata, and has hit her straps with 28 victories in the past 13 weeks.

In addition, stable apprentice Fadzli Yusoff (a3) now leads the premiership against his peers after winning aboard Speedy Missile and Charminton for Logan, and including victory on Senor Don (Senor Candy) in the $100,000 Rocket Man Stakes (1600m).

A total of 14 of his 16 wins this season have been for the Te Akau Racing Stable.

“It was fantastic to get four winners, three seconds (including a quinella) and a fourth,” Logan said.

“Yusoff is leading apprentice now and is still a very humble person. He turned up for work this morning as though nothing had happened. He's riding out of his skin, absolutely superbly.

“I've had Blake Shinn here at the stables and he's given all of our apprentices a pep talk. I said to Blake yesterday, you might have taught that one (Yusoff) too much.”

Making it two wins and two seconds from four starts, Charminton (4 g Charm Spirit - Sarzana) won the $50,000 Class 4 1200 metres for Yusoff.

Purchased by David Ellis CNZM for $50,000 at the 2021 Inglis (October) Online Sale and syndicated among Te Akau stable owners, Charminton tracked nicely in fifth before bursting to lead inside the final 150 metres.

“He's done nothing you could fault the horse for and really stepped up,” Logan said. “He's won $86,000 in stakes money, so not a bad effort for four starts.”

Ridden by Blake Shinn and carrying 57.5kg, Trident (4 g Deep Field - Miss Fi, by Makfi) beat stable-mate Montana Flash (4 g Star Turn - Dukemore), with Jake Bayliss aboard, in the $75,000 Novice 1400 metres.

Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM purchased Trident for $70,000 at the 2020 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Blandford Lodge, for owners Fortuna Racing (Mgr: John Galvin).

His sire, Deep Field was a highly regarded Group 2 winner in Australia, by the ill-fated emerging stallion and sire of sires Northern Meteor (Encosta de Lago), while beautifully bred dam-sire Makfi (Dubawi) left NZ Horse of the Year Bonneval and New Zealand Filly of the Year Sofia Rosa.

Trident, then named Polaris, debuted last October with a really good effort for fourth at Taupo, and repeated that with a solid third at Matamata, then a fourth in November at Te Aroha, and transferred to Te Akau's Kranji operation following a spell at Te Akau Stud.

“Trident's win was great for Fortuna Racing who had 18 clients over to see their horses race,” Logan said. “Trident won, King Arthur finished second in the Lion City Cup (Gr. 1, 1200m) and Entertainer also finished second for them.

“Trident has won over $90,000 in three starts, which is a lot of money for a young horse, and he looks more than capable of winning a $50,000 Class 4 race at his next start.

“Legacy Fortune is raced by a very good Thai owner, who is a good stable supporter, and he's had five starts for me, producing two thirds and a win. He'd won in Ireland before he came here.

“Speedy Missile is one I inherited from Mark (Walker) for long time Te Akau owners Ronald Lau and Dato Terry Lee and his daughter Theresa.

“And Ben Kwok races Montana Flash, who finished second to Trident.

“King Arthur was really good in the Group One, it was his first time in that company and at weight-for-age, just going down to Lim's Kosciuszko the superstar horse in Singapore. It was a great effort by King Arthur, who has won eight of his 20 starts, and posted six seconds, two thirds, and has now won $387,000 in prize money. He was a $24,000 purchase, so it's a very good result really.

Overall, Logan could not be happier with proceedings.

“The team morale is outstanding and we just want to keep the momentum going,” she said.

“I said to Dave (Ellis) that I'll be over for the Ready to Run Sale in November at Karaka, get a chance to meet some of our Te Akau owners and hopefully buy a couple of nice horses to race in Singapore.”