Te Akau Shark (NZ) Another Rising Ready to Run Star

New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale has unearthed numerous big-race performers in recent years, and a dominant victory in Saturday’s $70,000 Group 3 Red Badge Spring Sprint (1400m) at Hastings has set Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) up to join them.

The number-one Sale of its kind in Australasia, the Ready to Run Sale has an impressive honour roll of 17 Group 1 wins including Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor), Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj), Vin De Dance (NZ) (Roc de Cambes), Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj), Gaultier (NZ) (Rios), Dukedom (NZ) (Bachelor Duke) and Hall Of Fame (NZ) (Savabeel).

Te Akau Shark was bought for $230,000 at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, a perennial leading buyer at the National Yearling Sales Series and an increasingly major Ready to Run player. He also bought Gingernuts and Hall Of Fame.

Te Akau Shark began his career with two wins last spring before a close fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. That remains his only defeat, having begun his four-year-old season with spectacular back-to-back wins at Hastings.

On Saturday he came from a long way off the pace, giving the leaders as much as 12 lengths as they ran down the side of the track. But he produced an electrifying turn of foot in the straight to charge to the lead and power away to win by three lengths.

“He won really well, he couldn’t have been much more impressive,” trainer Jamie Richards said. “I was a little bit worried at the 700 with the amount of ground he was giving them, but it didn’t matter in the end. He’s a very progressive horse.

 “This is a fantastic result for a great group of owners. Quite a few of them have come over from Australia for this, and they’re all wearing their shark hats – it’s a bit of fun.”

Owned by a group that includes several Cronulla Sharks rugby league players, Te Akau Shark has had five starts for four wins and $107,875 in stakes.

The 2018 Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on November 21 and 22, with Breeze Ups at Te Rapa Racecourse on October 15 and 16.