Fresh off a 73-0 win against Uruguay in Lyon, All Black Anton Lienert-Brown kept his winning momentum going, but this time as a member of the Te Akau All Too Much Racing Partnership syndicate, who own Insatiable, the winner of the Jon Snow & Echoes Of Heaven @ Clearview Park (1200m) at Phar Lap Raceway on Friday.
“I’ve just been sent a photo of one of the part-owners, Anton Lienert-Brown, who played this morning for the All Blacks in the World Cup and he’s watching the race with the player of the day, Damian McKenzie,” Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis said.
“Opie (Bosson, jockey) thought from day one that he had the makings of a very good horse, but just went through a growing stage and needed to get his mind on requirements, but he’s working it out now.
“He was giving the tearaway leader five kilos, so it was a good effort to reel her in and he was good enough to do that.
“He was a really nice physical specimen when we bought him as a yearling and he’s just continuing to improve.
“Ashley Handley, who is in charge of team at Riccarton, is doing an amazing job with all the horses and has some really good staff helping her.”
Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson also tasted victory on the 11- race card with Talisker in the Richard & Bridget Preston Handicap (1200m) and Our Milly Bee in the Central SI Owners & Trainers Maiden (1600m).
Stakes placed as a juvenile behind stablemate Trobriand in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day, Talisker made the perfect start to his three-year-old season when victorious on the Riccarton synthetic in August.
He continued that winning form at Timaru on Friday scoring by 1-1/2 lengths over the Anna Furlong and Shane Kennedy-trained Betty Spaghetti.
“He (Talisker) had to do it tough when working forward from a wide draw (11) and then got taken on badly in front, so I thought it was a really good effort to shake off an older horse and win in the manner he did,” Walker said.
“I was impressed by the way he did a lot of work and then kicked again, which shows he’s a promising three-year-old.
“We love the progeny of Embellish. They’re coming to the fore now as three-year-olds and we think he has the makings of a very good sire.”
Holding a nomination for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton next month, Talisker may get the opportunity of emulating his sire who won the race in 2017.
“He’s down there (Riccarton) with the aim of getting to the 2000 Guineas, and he couldn’t have made a better start in his campaign,” Ellis said.
“He’s won a couple over 1200m but looks like he’ll appreciate stepping to 1400m and then the mile.
“It’s exciting to have a horse by Embellish heading towards the Guineas, and an advantage that Talisker is by a stallion who won the race and that he’s prepared at the venue (Riccarton).
“We’ve had plenty of success in the race and when Noverre went down there in 2021 he absolutely grew a leg before winning the 2000 Guineas."