With 168 wins to their name this season, Te Akau Racing’s Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson have already sealed the trainers’ premiership, and they already have their eye on continuing their dominance into next term.
The Matamata-based training partnership took a 17-strong team to Avondale’s trials on Tuesday, with many tipped to feature prominently in the spring.
Juvenile Cool ‘N’ Fast was the hype horse of the summer, carrying the weight of expectation of punting group Boys Get Paid into the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie in January after they had wagered $50,000 on the son of Savabeel ahead of the rich feature.
He went on to win on debut before running 11th in the Karaka Millions, and was subsequently gelded before making his first public appearance of his spring preparation on Tuesday where he finished fourth in his 800m heat.
“He is a gelding now, so he has had the ultimate gear change,” Bergerson said. “I was pretty happy with him (in his trial). Most of them were there today having nice, quiet trials to get them back out in a public setting, and we didn’t knock them around too much. They copped quite a bit of rain here yesterday.
“He had a nice trial, he relaxed nicely and was strong enough to the line and had a really good blow on pulling up. That will really tighten him up nicely into the spring.
“He will head to Te Rapa now and we will trial again and be guided by that whether we go to Taupo or Hawke’s Bay. He seems to be coming up well and is doing everything well at this stage of his preparation.”
Earlier in the day, Group One performer Mehzebeen was fourth in her 950m heat and is set to tackle some middle-distance targets over the spring and summer.
“It is good to have her back,” Bergerson said. “She is quite a handy staying mare, so we will head to Te Rapa with her as well. Whether we aim her at something like the Waikato Cup (Gr.3, 2400m) or something else will be guided by how she comes along.
“I am looking forward to stepping her up in trip over the spring. She is another year older now and we think it is all ahead of her. She is starting to fully mature and hopefully she is in for a good spring.”
Te Akau Racing lined-up a quintet in the 800m open handicap heat, and Bergerson was pleased with the pipe opener for each of his five runners, who were only beaten by the Clinton Isdale-trained Beebeep.
Group Two winner Trobriand was the first home for the tangerine and blue, ahead of Group Two performer What You Wish For, Group Three performer My Lips Are Sealed, Group One performer Talisker, and El Viento.
“Trobriand has been gelded, and I think he was the pick of that lot,” Bergerson said. “He got back and was quite strong through the line on testing conditions.
“He seems to be much happier and tractable as a gelding, so he could be in for an interesting campaign.
“What You Wish For ran well in the Derby and I am looking forward to getting him up in trip again. I thought he trialled well, he just blew out the last little bit, but he seems to be coming up well.
“I thought My Lips Are Sealed trialled nicely and will now go to Te Rapa and we will map out a path. She seems to get through wet ground quite nicely and you could see her quite early, near the backend of winter or early spring.
“Talisker has never gone well on wet ground, but he seems to be coming up well.
“And El Viento is relatively lightly raced and I think he is coming up really well. He is in for a good spring and something like the Coupland’s Mile (Gr.3, 1600m) could be on his radar, he is quite low in the handicap still, but we think he is progressive enough to get up to that level.”
Bergerson was also impressed with the trial of unraced juvenile Age Of Discovery, and he is tipping a bright future for the son of Savabeel.
“The pick of the two-year-olds was Age Of Discovery,” Bergerson said. “He has yet to go to the races, but he trialled quite nicely and we think he will be better on better ground.
“Warren (Kennedy, jockey) was pretty impressed with him. We haven’t done a lot with him, but we are certainly looking forward to him getting him to the races in the spring.”
Meanwhile, Te Akau Racing will just have the two runners this weekend – Devoted returns to the flat at Arawa Park on Saturday where he will contest the rating 75 1950m race, while Popthebubbles will head to New Plymouth where she will line-up in the rating 75 1600m contest.
“Devoted started his steeplechase career this season in good form, but he blundered a jump at Hastings and that knocked the wind out of him, and he was pulled up,” Bergerson said. “He is in good form and has shown he can still mix it on the flat. He was a very good winner at Pukekohe for Tayla (Melvin, apprentice jockey) in his last flat run, and he seems to be in good order at home.
“Popthebubbles has won at the track. I thought she put in a really good run there at Rotorua last time without a lot of luck. Parmar (Niranjan Parmar, apprentice jockey) jumps on and I think the kilo off will help her. She seems in good form and is a nice, progressive mare that does like those winter tracks. Hopefully she shouldn’t be too far away.”
