Proven Te Akau Racing filly Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) put her quality on display when prevailing in a competitive Nellies Restaurant and Bar 2YO (820m) at Wingatui on Sunday.
A winner at her first two starts through the spring, Cool Aza Rene had started favourite in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) in December, but after an uncharacteristic performance to finish the last of five, the filly pulled up shin-sore.
Returning to Te Akau’s Riccarton stable in the late autumn, Cool Aza Rene trialled impressively at Ashburton before journeying further south to the Dunedin venue, where she was the most-experienced in a field made up of a number of first-starters.
The daughter of Cool Aza Beel was a deserved favourite, but punters still identified Eternal Light ($5.30), stablemate Options Open ($5.70), and Better Shared ($6.30) as potential dangers. Jumping from barrier seven, apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll was positive early, driving forward to settle off the fence in third.
The big-striding El Vaquero headed the juvenile field into the home turn and Cool Aza Rene picked up to draw level with him at the 200m, and despite getting a decent bump from her rival, the filly was too tough and got up by a head.
Debutant Eternal Light wasn’t far away in third, with another length margin back to an improving Better Shared.
“It was a good tough effort and obviously she got through the testing ground quite well,” said Mark Walker, who trains her in partnership with Sam Bergerson. “She showed a lot of heart to get up and win, close to the line.
“She’s building quite a nice record and we’ll look to run her again on the 21st of June in the two-year-old race over 1000m at Riccarton.
“We really do like the progeny of Cool Aza Beel, especially as they look as though they’ll keep developing into much better three-year-olds.”
Cool Aza Rene is by a former Te Akau Racing galloper in Cool Aza Beel, while her dam, Irene, is by another past star of the stable in Xtravagant. She was purchased for A$55,000 out of Newhaven Park’s draft at Magic Millions’ Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and from four starts, has earned just shy of $85,000.