Trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards will send out three runners in Te Akau Racing's tangerine and blue silks for the first 3-year-old Classic of the season–the NZ$500,000 G1 Al Basti Equiworld 2000 Guineas at Riccarton Park Saturday. The most highly regarded in the betting is $3.30 morning line favourite Embellish (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), who will break from post five. The dark bay is a winner of his past two starts, a Ruakaka event defeating listed victor Ever Loyal (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) on Oct. 4 and a Benchmark 65 versus elders on Cox Plate Day on Oct. 28 at Trentham. He will be ridden by Opie Bosson.
“I know that Opie just loves Embellish and the horse isn't a brilliant trackworker, but he is up to the mark,” Richards remarked to Racing.com.
He is joined by the two-for-two Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {NZ}) under Michael McNab, a 2 1/2-length winner going 1400 metres most recently at Matamata on Oct. 14 and Age Of Fire (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who ran third behind Prom Queen (NZ) (Super Easy {NZ}) and last out winner and $4.80 second choice Sensei (Aus) (Dream Ahead) in the G3 John Grigg S. at Ashburton on Oct. 21. Age of Fire receives the services of Matt Cameron.
“It's very, very hard to split them,” he continued. “They have all done nothing wrong and they are all fit and happy and working well. [Te Akau Shark] is still quite new and having his third start in a Group 1, but he deserves his place. Age Of Fire is probably the smokey in the race and he will love the mile at Riccarton being out of a Galileo (Ire) mare.”
The aforementioned Ever Loyal defeated the reopposing Scott Base (NZ) (Dalghar {Fr}) in the Listed Zacinto S. locally on Oct. 28, while SW Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}) was only a nose away from victory in the Oct. 7 G2 Hawke's Bay Guineas at Hastings before a fifth-place run at Te Rapa in the 1400m G2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial S. on Oct. 23.
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