Te Akau Racing owner David Ellis bid more than he bargained to buy Insatiable at the 2021 NZB National Yearling Sale but $190,000 looked money well-spent at Taupo on Tuesday.
Insatiable was backed into a short-priced favourite for the Winstone Wallboards 1200 and the 3yo son of Vinery sire All Too Hard showed signs of Stakes potential with a defiant victory over Paul David (Reliable Man).
“We rated him at Karaka,” Ellis recalled. “He’s a ripping type, walked really well, and although there was very strong competition, we were pleased to get him. All Too Hard is leaving a lot of winners and this one is a nice physical specimen in the mould of his strong Australian pedigree.”
Insatiable had been a good thing beaten on debut in December when he never saw daylight at Rotorua. Stable jockey Opie Bosson took over second-up and rode him like the best horse in the race when making progress from midfield to lead into the straight.
“He’s a promising horse and I like the way he got there and then wouldn’t let the other horse go past,” Bosson said. “When I gave him a couple with the stick he really lifted. He will be all right.”
Insatiable represents the successful All Too Hard – More Than Ready cross and is trained by Mark Walker for a Te Akau Racing syndicate that includes All Blacks centre Anton Lienert-Brown. He was bred by Hong Kong-based Ben Kwok and sold through the Waikato Stud consignment at Karaka. His dam All Day Baby (More Than Ready) won a Newcastle maiden for Kris Lees and second-dam Translate (Love a Dane) won a VRC Matron Stakes (Gr.3, 1600m) at Flemington.
There are 19 yearlings by All Too Hard at the Inglis Classic starting this Sunday including home-bred colts from Spotty Socks (Lot 100) and Lonyx (Lot 566). They are members of a 36-Lot consignment from Vinery at Riverside Stables.
All Too Hard has a far-reaching roll-call of potential black-type updates on either side of the Tasman starting with his Kiwi mare Babylon Berlin in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa this Saturday.
Babylon Berlin was narrowly beaten in her last two Group 1 assignments by Te Akau mare Imperatriz in the Railway Stakes (1200m) and Levante in the Telegraph Hcp (1200m) and she will be seeking revenge against both mares at weight-for-age.
Alligator Blood will bypass an intended first-up start in the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Sandown this Saturday. Last seen winning the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600) at Flemington in November, he will likely resume for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Sandown on February 25.
His Hong Kong Champion Wellington will live to fight another day after settling for second to Lucky Sweynesse in the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. He was duly beaten on the day although stewards did advise jockey Alexis Badel that; “Wherever possible, he should place his mounts under full pressure at the appropriate time”.
Trainer Richard Gibson said Wellington will return for the Group 1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on March 19. “It wasn’t a bad effort from Wellington although I don’t think we saw the best of him,” Gibson said. “But all the credit to Lucky Sweynesse. He was the better horse today.”
