Saturday’s Tauranga meeting began on a perfect note for Te Akau Racing, who won the first two races including a smart debut performance by two-year-old filly About Last Night (NZ) (Capitalist).
The daughter of Capitalist was sent out as a $1.30 favourite for the Gartshore Construction Maiden 2YO (950m), having made a big impression with a four-length victory in her only trial at Avondale at August 15.
About Last Night lived right up to those big expectations in the hands of jockey Warren Kennedy. After settling in second behind the front-running Ka Pai Kiwi (Better Than Ready), she cruised forward to take over at the turn.
Kennedy released the brakes halfway up the straight and About Last Night dashed clear, opening up a winning margin of two and three-quarter lengths over Skymax (Ferrando) and Elegant Jazz (Russian Revolution).
“She did it easily – nothing more than a track gallop,” Kennedy said.
About Last Night continued the perfect start to two-year-old racing this spring for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, who saddled Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) to win the first juvenile race of the season at Wanganui earlier in the month.
“About Last Night had trialled up well and she’s very professional,” Walker said. “With that debut win under her belt, she can have a little holiday now and our main focus will be the Karaka Million in January. She’s got a great turn of foot.”
About Last Night is by Capitalist out of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Kissmelikearocksta (Fastnet Rock), who is a full-sister to the stakes winner Sacred Man. Second dam Love And Kisses placed in the Gr.1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), while third dam Fair Embrace was a multiple Group winner.
David Ellis paid $75,000 to buy About Last Night from Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where she was offered by Westbury Stud. The filly is raced by the Te Akau Girls Who Love To Party 2023 Racing Partnership, managed by Karyn Fenton-Ellis.
“Karyn put a syndicate of together of ladies and I’m thrilled this filly has won first-up for them,” David Ellis said. “Having Fastnet Rock and Encosta de Lago as her first two dam sires is an enormous advantage in any pedigree. She’s a filly with plenty of natural substance and we regarded her as a really good value purchase.
“Bellatrix Star won the first two-year-old race this season for us at Wanganui and is now having a break, and this filly has won early in the season too, which just allows us to buy some time.
“Some of our other Karaka Million winners – Cool Aza Beel, Avantage and Melody Belle – won early in their two-year-old seasons, with the latter two having their best seasons as five and six-year-olds.
“It’s important in our training methods that we don’t put any undue pressure on our two-year-olds to perform, and it’s those that put their hands up with natural precocity who get a chance to race early on.”
It was a notable result for Westbury Stud, with Gerry Harvey breeding both the winner and third placegetter (Elegant Jazz), while the runner-up Skymax was one of the first runners for first-season Westbury stallion Ferrando.
The second leg of Te Akau’s double came courtesy of Puketiro (Savabeel) in the Bayleys Bay Of Plenty (1200m). Ridden by Opie Bosson, she faced a stern challenge from Gee Cee (Vespa) and Rochmie Ray (Rubick) inside the final 150m, but fought them off bravely to win in a three-way photo finish.
It was the fourth win in a five-start career for the highly promising daughter of Savabeel, who races in the colours of her breeder and part-owner Christopher Grace.
Puketiro had made a big impression with three stylish wins during her three-year-old season, and she was a pre-post favourite for the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) but was scratched from the autumn three-year-old feature.
