7 Oct 2023Our exciting young stallion Embellish promises to have quality representation in the upcoming Classics at Riccarton.
His son Talisker is on the third line of betting at $10 for the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and daughter Luberon is now the equal $5 favourite for the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Te Akau’s Talisker is undefeated in both of his three-year-old appearances, as is our own Luberon who was successful in a competitive age group event at Matamata over 1400 metres.
The filly was quickly into stride to sit in second spot and, despite racing greenly, proved superior in the run home.
“She needs a bit more practice left-handed and there is a lot of improvement still to come,” trainer Lance Noble said.
“It was three weeks since her last win (at Te Rapa) and she’d done really well and I was a bit worried she might be under done.
“She’ll run in the G2 Soliloquy Stakes and then on to Christchurch. Her father won the 2000 Guineas so I don’t think the mile is any problem for her.”
Third in last season’s Listed Challenge Stakes, Luberon has now won three of her four starts and regular rider Warren Kennedy also believes there is further improvement to come.
“She’s still learning, she’s still green and looking around so it was another very good win,” he said.
“Lance is doing everything right in exposing her to left-handed racing so she’ll get a lot better.”
Luberon is out of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Elegant Achiever, who comes from the family of the European Group winners Wunder’s Dream, Grecian Dancer, Muffri’ha, Asymetric and Mill Stream.
Also the dam of the multiple winner Ellmaknifico, Elegant Achiever’s Embellish colt named Ginza was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $80,000 at Karaka earlier this year and the mare produced another son of Embellish last season.