By Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Unbeaten filly Lara Antipova will head Te Akau’s assault on their home track two-year-old features on Saturday.
Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s speed demon has been untested in either of her appearances and will face her sternest test in the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
Meanwhile, stablemates Kinnaird and Out Of The Blue will fly the stable flag in the Gr.3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m) following unplaced runs in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).
Lara Antipova romped home by eight lengths in her Te Aroha debut and was again untested to take top honours in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham.
“She’s in great form and has freshened really well since Wellington,” Bergerson said.
“She had an exhibition gallop last week at Tauranga and worked well on the course proper at Matamata this week, she’s in really good order.
“The weather forecast is a bit of a query, there’s no good things in racing and there’s some talented fillies there, but she has been faultless so far.”
All going well, Lara Antipova is most likely to target next month’s Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
“We’ll get through Saturday and hopefully press on to Ellerslie and then we’ll have a team talk after that to see what’s next,” Bergerson said.
Opie Bosson will partner Lara Antipova and will also ride Kinnaird, who won on debut at Otaki before landing the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), but the bubble burst when he tailed the field home in the Karaka Millions.
“He was disappointing, a few things didn’t go his way and he threw his toys out of the cot,” Bergerson said.
“It’s a smaller field and although he has won at Ellerslie, he did a lot wrong in the Eclipse and he might be a bit better going this way around.
“We can’t fault him and his work has been good this week.”
Out Of The Blue was undefeated in two spring starts at Riccarton before he was third in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) and a last-start seventh.
“He was really good in the Millions, he ran the fastest last 800 and 600m after he blew the start from a bad gate,” Bergerson said.
“In a smaller field on his home track, we certainly don’t think he’s out of it.”
They will have three runners in the Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes (1400m), including the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) placegetter and last-start Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) winner Belle Cheval.
“She’s the up and comer and we always had this race pencilled in as a nice stepping stone to The NZB Kiwi (1500m),” Bergerson said.
“She’s really talented and keeps improving so it will be exciting, with the forecast the only query.”
Stablemates Captured by Love and My Lips Are Sealed will complete the Te Akau challenge.
“Captured By Love has been freshened since Te Rapa (Gr.3 J Swap Sprint, 1400m) where she got a long way back and was never really in it,” Bergerson said.
“She’s had a couple of exhibition gallops and we can’t fault her at home while My Lips Are Sealed had a disappointing spring.
“She ran a really good race (third) in this last year behind Legarto and typically finds form this time of the year, so we’re hoping she can bounce back and rediscover her zest.”
The other stakes contender is What You Wish For, who will defend his title in the Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Kaimai Stakes (2000m).
“He’s in really good form and Wolfgang puts him in at a suitable weight and he’s absolutely bouncing around the place,” Bergerson said.
“He’s looking to win it again and we can’t see any reason why he can’t.”
