Te Akau Big Guns Starting to Hit the Track

Te Akau Racing are slowly coming out of their winter hibernation, with the country’s leading stable stepping out some of their topliners at the Avondale trials on Tuesday.

“July is a pretty quiet month for us, but we have got a nice team for the spring that is slowly building up, and it was good to see a few of them out and about today,” said Sam Bergerson, who trains in partnership with Mark Walker.

$2.4 million earner Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel) made her first public appearance in New Zealand since winning the inaugural NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie last year, and she was given a quiet hit-out over 1000m.

The daughter of Savabeel had nine starts in Australia this season, and while she failed to add to her win tally, she placed in the Gr.3 Matron Stakes (1600m), Gr.3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m), and Gr.3 Bellmaine Stakes (1200m).

Bergerson said she didn’t have things go her way across the Tasman.

“Unfortunately, she didn’t have the rub of the green in a lot of her starts,” he said. “There is no hiding over there, you need everything to go your way, and unfortunately for her it didn’t. But we know on her day she is class, so fingers crossed we can get her back to some really good form.

“We have given her a really good break back here in New Zealand.”

Bergerson was happy enough with Damask Rose’s trial and he said the rising five-year-old mare will likely be targeted at next month’s Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) in a bid to gain her place in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie a fortnight later.

“Damask Rose had a really quiet trial, it was just a nice day out for her,” Bergerson said. “She has had a good build-up heading into the spring and it’s fantastic to see her back here in New Zealand.

“She will hopefully trial in that Group and Listed trial on the 8th (of August at Te Rapa) and potentially kick-off in the Foxbridge.

“Just the way that first Group One works at Ellerslie, and the eligibility criteria, she is actually quite low in the order because she is a two-time Restricted Listed winner but hasn’t actually won a Group race. If it was done on ratings, she would breeze in, but she might have to run in the Foxbridge, and run well there, to even make the field.

“We will play it by ear, but we will give her a bit more of a test at Te Rapa on the 8th and go from there.”

Group One winner La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth) also had a quiet trial over 1000m at Avondale, and will likely be set for some handicap assignments over spring.

“She had a good break post the Kiwi,” Bergerson said. “She is not overly big, but she seems to have filled out and strengthened up a bit, and there is plenty to work with. She has got a fantastic, gritty aptitude for racing.

“She is still quite lowly rated at 80, and we may miss the big guns early and utilise her handicap. We will certainly be guided by her in the coming weeks in how she trials up.”

Bergerson said the stable still has an ace up their sleeve with the pair as they head into spring racing.

“With both of those mares, we have still got the blinkers up our sleeve, which they both race in,” Bergerson said. “I think when those go on and they get to raceday, they are quite intelligent and they know what they are there for.”

Stakes-winning two-year-old Kinnaird (Home Affairs) was strong late when taking out his 800m heat on Tuesday, and Bergerson said gelding the son of Home Affairs has had the desired effect.

Kinnaird made the perfect start to his career when winning on debut at Otaki last November before he won the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day. But the wheels came off his preparation after that when finishing last in both the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), and the decision was made to geld him.

“He seems to be coming up well, he has had a really good break post his last effort at Matamata,” Bergerson said. “He is a gelding now, which seems to hopefully be the key to him. He had his mind on other things towards the end of his two-year-old campaign, and it was good to see him round that off (in the trial today).

“He will trial again and he is one potentially for the Northland Breeders’ (Gr.3, 1200m). There is obviously Taupo as a back-up as well, but he has grown into himself now and is coming up well.”

Another stable runner who has recently been gelded is He Who Dares (NZ) (Snitzel).

Without managing a win, the rising four-year-old had a pleasing three-year-old campaign, having placed in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m), and Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m).

The son of Snitzel is set to have a jumpout at Matamata on Thursday before he heads to Te Rapa early next month for a trial.

“He is in really good order and he has also been gelded,” Bergerson said. “He has won a stack of prizemoney but he is actually only a one-win horse, a maiden at Wanganui.

“He ran into some really good ones without winning those black-type races, and the Kiwi as well. He has had a really good break and I am excited to see what he can do.”

Fellow three-year-old Drops Of God (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) also made an impact this season, winning three of her four starts, including the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and placed in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m).

Bergerson said they are taking a quiet approach with her return as a four-year-old and have set their sights toward the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) next year.

“Drops Of God has had a good break as well,” Bergerson said. “We will probably work back from something like a Railway, so she is having a slow introduction to the spring, and we will look to have two or three runs heading into that.

“She may trial on the 8th or potentially a week or two after that, we will be guided by her. She looks super and she is going really nicely, and we are just starting to build her up now.”

The stable is set to have a quiet week at the races and will head to Te Rapa with just two runners on Saturday in Sense Of Timing (NZ) (Time Test) and Trouble Maker (NZ) (Redwood), who will contest the Bob and Colleen Donaldson Memorial (1600m) and King Brown Shearing Mile (1600m) respectively.

“Trouble Maker was really stiff (when seventh at Te Rapa last start) and never really got a crack and got a long way off them,” Bergerson said. “Her last 150m especially was really good and she worked nicely on the course proper.

“There was a bit of time between runs last time out for Sense Of Timing (when third over 1400m at Te Rapa earlier this month) and probably felt the pinch in that last 100m and just blew out, but she will take good natural improvement from it.

“She seems to race well at Te Rapa and Michael (McNab) is riding her again as well, so that is a big positive.

“There is a bit of rain forecast, which shouldn’t harm their chances.” - NZ Racing News

Main picture - Damask Rose winning the inaugural NZB Kiwi in 2025