Telfers get three
Steve and Amanda Telfer’s thoughts of winning another Trainers Premiership might have diminished a bit, but in winning three races over two venues last night, there’s still a glimmer of hope they could get there.
The Telfers are twenty five wins adrift of Premiership leaders Robert and Jenna Dunn.
“They’ve got a bit of a head start on us. We didn’t have a very good winter. We’ve got a lot of nice horses coming back, but they will too. It’s going to make it hard, but it’ll be interesting I suppose,” Amanda said.
Tact Teva (Lather Up) was very impressive in winning his $25,000 Winter Rewards Final at Addington.
Driver Tim Williams stayed out of the early rush from his second line draw but with just over a lap to run Tact Teva latched onto the three wide train on the back of Mostert.
By the time they came out the last bend, Scrunch, Mostert and Tact Teva had broken away from the rest of the field and when Williams presented the gelding three wide, he powered to the front and went down to the line to win by an impressive six and a quarter lengths from Irish Dream who came home late.
TACT TEVA REPLAY
“He went super. I said to Tim a couple of days before the race that the horse was right in the zone. Everything he was doing he was happy about. His work has been great and he’s putting it all on the track which is really good.”
The winning time on an off track was 2-22.3 – a mile rate of 1-55.6.
This is the gelding’s seventh win and he’s now won four of his last five starts.
“He’s had a few soundness issues and we had to scratch him on Cup Day last year. We had to do a bit of investigating to find out what it was. Sam Taylor (vet) has done a great job with him and we think we’re on top of it. I’ve made a few little gears changes which took a while for Tim to agree with. He’d never let me take the earplugs off him or put blinds on. I’ve done that in the last five weeks and he’s in the best form of his life.”
Amanda who selected Tact Teva as a yearling, has remained close to him all the way through and Jo Herbert plays a part in the horses wellbeing as well.
“I work him all the time. No one else gets to drive him unless I’m not here. Jo does all the afternoon work with him. When he comes in she massages him and looks after him that way.”
$1.30 favourite JT Boe (Always B Miki) was the second of the Telfer’s winners at Addington, beating a small field of R71-R75 horses.
Da Vinci sped to an early lead with JT Boe settling off the pace. With a lap to run, driver Nikita Burton ventured forward to sit parked. At the 400 JT Boe was up challenging Da Vinci who was starting to fade. JT Boe hit the front when they levelled out for the run to the line and under a strong drive by Burton won by three quarters of a length from Amarillo Franco who arrived late.
JT BOE REPLAY
“He was up north for a while and Steve always had a big opinion of him. But he’s a big Miki and has needed time to fill into his frame. He still doesn’t know what he’s doing and is just doing it on raw ability at the moment without being switched on. He can maintain that high cruising speed which a lot of horses can’t, but he hasn’t got a nice gait and has a bit of a hitch in it. He’s like a big basketballer who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Legs and arms and nothing else.”
Amanda says JT Boe will head to the National Handicap at Addington on August 7th before tackling the Maurice Holmes Vase two weeks later.
“He’s got to get the stand starts better. He’s just slow. But he doesn’t actually gallop. He can’t get into a fluent gait quickly. We think he will get it (standing starts) with a bit more practice, but he’s got the motor of an open class horse.”
Raced by Stonewall Stud and Graeme Beirne of Small Car World, the win was his tenth in twenty three starts.
JT Boe who was a $35,000 sales purchase, is named after Johannes Thingnes Boe – a Norwegian Biathlete who won five gold medals over three Winter Olympic Games.
Meanwhile in Auckland, Ride The Waves (Downbytheseaside) continued on her winning way at Alexandra Park when she won her fourth race in just five starts.
Bred by Diane and Noel Cournane, the three year old filly had to do it tough to beat Twist And Tango.
Driver Maurice McKendry settled Ride The Waves back early with Twist And Tango dominating the front. McKendry took his filly forward and was forced four wide before getting her head in front, but driver Scott Phelan (Twist And Tango) wasn’t about to hand up so Ride The Waves was left parked for the last lap. Halfway down the home stretch Ride The Waves had made the front and went down to the line to beat a brave Twist And Tango by a length.
RIDE THE WAVES REPLAY
“Steve’s always had a big opinion of her. He stole her straight after the sales and said at the sales office ‘I’m taking that one.’ (laughter)
Amanda says Ride The Waves is likely to run in the North Island heats of the Nevele R Fillies Series.
“He’ll then bring her down closer to the final and the Oaks. We’ll get her down here eventually, but I think he’ll come with her (laugher).”
There is also a possibility that Ride The Waves could race in Australia.
“Steve does a lot of planning. He might take Ride The Waves, Allamericanplayer and Secret Beach to Aussie in October. Nothing is set in concrete at this stage.”
Ride The Waves is out of Cournane’s good Art Major mare Fight For Glory which won fourteen races, including the New Zealand, NSW, Gold Coast and Queensland Oaks, NZ Yearling Sales Series Championship and the Queen Of Hearts.
For complete race results, click here.
by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink
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