Te Akau Racing will be well-represented in each of the four stakes races at Trentham’s LawnMaster Christmas At The Races meeting on Saturday.
A pair of exciting juveniles in Cool Aza Rene and Marokopa Falls will kick off stakes proceedings when they meet for the first time in the Gr.2 Happy Hire Wakefiled Challenge Stakes (1100m), and like TAB bookmakers, trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are struggling to split the pair.
Both fillies are undefeated to date, with Cool Aza Rene winning on debut over 800m at Otaki in October before winning over 1000m at Riccarton last month, while Marokopa Falls was eye-catching when winning over 1000m when on debut at Trentham earlier this month.
Off the back of that performance, jockey Craig Grylls has elected to stick with Marokopa Falls, and TAB bookmakers have duly responded, installing her a $2.40 favourite for Saturday ahead of her stablemate at $2.60, with Andrew Carston’s Riccarton raider, Miss Ziggy, on the third line of betting at $6.50.
“It was good seeing Marokopa Falls win like that on debut off only one trial where she actually ran last,” Bergerson said. “It was a bit of a throw at the stumps, but she has got a fantastic constitution and a great racing brain. She hasn’t put a foot wrong since her trial, she was very good for Gryllsy (Craig Grylls) that day (debut win) and we gave him the choice and he has elected to ride Marokopa Falls.
“She has stayed on at Dad’s (Roydon Bergerson, Awapuni) following the run at Trentham. We didn’t want to bring her all the way back north. Dad has been really happy with her. He took her to Foxton on Tuesday for a quiet gallop and she is ticking all the boxes down there in Palmerston North.
“Cool Aza Rene is a gutsy filly who just seems to really thrive on the racing and stable life. She hasn’t put a foot wrong either and we gave her a freshen-up.
“We took her to Ashburton to gallop last Tuesday and she had a nice piece of work on Tuesday morning. She will have a quiet day at Dad’s (after arriving on Thursday afternoon) and then onto Trentham. She brings in really good form, we can’t fault her.
“They are two very nice chances who are hard to split.”
Stakes performer Ocean Mist will be the stable’s sole representative in the Gr.3 Lawnmaster Eulogy Stakes (1600m), and Bergerson is expecting a bold showing against her own sex after competing against the boys when third in the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Otaki last month.
“She just keeps raising the bar,” Bergerson said. “She has surprised us a bit. From her debut run to winning next time and then sneaking some black-type against the boys last time in the Wellington Stakes.
“She is back to her own sex now, but she is in very good form. It looks a pretty even race on paper. Hopefully she can get a softer time in front this time, she got to the front last time and another one came around, and she never really got a break.
“We will look to be positive again, and if she gets a kinder run in transit, we think she can hopefully figure in the finish and get some more valuable black-type for a really good ladies ownership group.”
Seven-year-old stablemate Perfect Scenario has been in a purple patch of form this preparation, which he will be looking to continue when he lines-up in the Gr.2 Bramco Granite & Marble Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
The son of Iffraaj has won two and placed in three of his five starts this preparation, including running third in the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) in his last two starts.
“He’s in grand form. He is in almost career-best form as a seven-year-old, he is absolutely flying,” Bergerson said.
“He is an old marvel, I thought he was so game in the very good Group One mile at Trentham. He is another one that has stayed on at Dad’s, we didn’t want to travel him all the way back to Riccarton or back north.
“We have kept him very fresh and back to 1400m where he has got a very good record, and Opie (Bosson, jockey) jumps on as well, which is always a massive plus.”
Rounding out the stable’s stakes contenders on Saturday will be Cognito in the Gr.3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup (2300m).
The five-year-old son of So You Think has placed in his last three outings, and Bergerson is hoping he can recapture the form that helped him land the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) at the track as a three-year-old.
“He is running well without winning,” Bergerson said. “I thought his run in the Counties Cup (Gr.3, 2100m) was very good. He was the widest on the corner and kept finding.
“We are still not sure if he is an out-and-out stayer, but this looks a nice race for him. Trentham really suits him, he is a stakes winner there as a three-year-old in the Wellington Guineas. We think the big, long, roomy straight really suits him to wind up.
“We will look to be neutral again from the barrier (8) and we are confident he can run a race, he seems really well at home and his work has been very good since Counties. We took him to Te Aroha in-between times for an exhibition gallop and he followed Skew Wiff around and his work was very good.”