Te Akau NZ Matamata Preview

Te Akau New Zealand has four horses entered for the nine-race programme on Monday May 6 at Matamata.

As at Sunday May 3 the conditions were: cloudy and Heavy10, rail True.

11:30am R1 5 Exabelle (4 m Exceed and Excel - Avabelle) - Matt Cameron; began well and after steadying to midfield at the 600 metres she produced a strong finish to win on April 12 in the Benchmark 65 1600 metres on Dead6 at Awapuni. Remaining in the same grade, stepping to 2000 metres for the first time, she appears nicely placed in this field to continue her good form providing the track conditions remain reasonable - one of two in the race for Te Akau.

11:30am R1 13 Goosebumps (8 g Istidaad - Raewyn's Polly) - Michael Dee (a3); is a jumper resuming from 242-day break. Already a winner, and no further back than fifth in sixth of his eight hurdles starts, he has strengthened considerably following a good spell and appears an exciting jumps prospect for his owners, and the Te Akau team, for the winter assignments ahead. At his best in atrocious conditions, forecast rain will help to keep him in the picture and he carries 51kgs courtesy of an apprentice allowance.

12:37pm R3 6 O'Darci (3 g Darci Brahma - O'Sequita) - Matt Cameron; came from the rear with a circling run for second when trialling over 950 metres on April 11 at Cambridge, and makes his debut from barrier ten in the Maiden 3YO 1200 metres. Three trials in this preparation have him fit for the assignment and the eye-catching big lad hails from a top family. His half-brother Captain Kurt (Volksraad) finished second to Darci Brahma (Danehill) in the 2005 Two Thousand Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m), producing a 10:3-5-2 record, and his grand-dam, Sequita (Sovereign Edition), was a stakes winning mare in a career of ten victories from thirty starts over 1200 - 2000 metres. Strikingly obvious in the form of these horses is their consistency and O'Darci strips in the right shape to emulate.

2:53pm R7 7 Secret Whisper (4 g Align - Danewhisper) - Matt Cameron; came from off the pace with a big finish for third on April 8 in the Benchmark 75 1600 metres at New Plymouth, having resumed on March 25 with a closing run for fourth in the Benchmark 75 1400 metres at Matamata. Thwarted by the abandonment of his race on April 24 at Te Aroha, and balloted on Saturday at Te Rapa, he comes in nicely here for the Benchmark 75 1600 metres. He continues to present in good order and providing the ground remains reasonable has a strong chance to frank the recent deeds of his half-sister Lasswade (Johar).