Acapelago all the way at Te Rapa

Acapelago and Kelly Myers led all the way to win at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo: Kenton Wright, Race Images

Talented filly Acapelago showcased her class and versatility with an all-the-way victory in the Nutritech 3YO (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The daughter of Belardo cleared maidens with a similarly dominant front-running performance at Matamata in September, but in her two previous appearances in her autumn campaign, she settled well back in the field before producing strong finishes for second at Ellerslie on April 19 and third at Rotorua on May 10.

Acapelago and jockey Kelly Myers cast those come-from-behind tactics aside on Saturday and capitalised on a lack of pace in the $35,000 three-year-old race.

Acapelago was the fastest to leave the starting gates and was clearly in front after the first 100m, and that was where she stayed. Myers was able to give the filly a breather down the back and side of the track, enjoying an uncontested lead at a sedate tempo.

There was plenty left in Acapelago’s tank when Myers pushed the button in the straight, and she kicked hard when challenged by Renovations at the 250m mark. Acapelago kept finding and kept holding the favourite at bay, going on to win by a length. Ziggy Stardust ran into second, a short neck in front of Renovations.

Acapelago races in the colours of co-breeder and part-owner Haunui Farm, who also won last weekend’s Listed Rangitikei Cup (1600m) with Francee.

The Simon and Katrina Alexander-trained Acapelago has now had nine starts for two wins, four placings and $62,110 in stakes. Her three times outside the top three have all been in black-type races – fourth in Belardi’s Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m), seventh behind Alabama Lass in the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), and ninth behind Hitabell in the Listed O’Learys Fillies’ Stakes (1340m).

Katrina Alexander was pleased to see the filly back in the winning groove on Saturday.

“That was a really good performance,” she said. “It was nice to get her back into three-year-old company and see where she stands.

“She’s often been a victim of wide draws and was again today, and to be honest, we were even tempted to scratch her today. But it was a brilliant ride from Kelly to get across the field and into the position that she did. That was the winning of the race. No one else was interested in going forward and putting pressure on, so we were able to dictate.

“She’s quite a big horse. We tried to do a bit with her in the early part of her three-year-old season, but she just wasn’t quite physically ready. She’s furnishing into a lovely filly now, but still has a bit more developing to do, so I’d like to think she has more ahead of her.”

Acapelago’s next target is likely to be a $40,000 three-year-old race over 1400m at Ellerslie on June 7.

“She really seems to like Ellerslie, so we’re keen to get her back there for another three-year-old race in a couple of weeks’ time,” Alexander said. “We’re still trying to get a line on what her pet distance might be. The other Belardos we’ve trained have seemed to be at their best around 1400m and 1600m, but on type, this filly might stretch out over further.

“She’s quite a gross-doing filly, so we have to be careful that she doesn’t get away on us. But at the same time, she races well in a fresh state, so it’s a bit of a balancing act with her.” - Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk