1 Jan 2022Outstanding mare Entriviere produced a stellar performance to claim the G1 Sistema Railway at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day and again highlighted the conditioning skills of Te Akau head trainer Jamie Richards.
Entriviere was resuming following her successful spring campaign in Sydney, where she won the G2 Sheraco Stakes, and off the back of a trial victory at Rotorua last month was presented in prime order by Richards.
It was also a result that highlighted the loss of our beloved stallion Tavistock, who succumbed to complications after a paddock accident in 2019, with the five-year-old his seventh individual Group 1 winner.
Entriviere settled back in the field in the Ellerslie sprint feature before improving across the top and scorched home for Opie Bosson to score by a length and a-half.
“Opie was confident they would go along at a genuine tempo and wanted to ride her a bit quietly. That’s her pattern, if she is left exposed she can overdo things,” Richards said.
“When she was asked to quicken, she exploded and won like the quality mare she is. It’s an awesome result and everyone gets a thrill out of winning a Group 1.”
Bosson had been bullish about Entriviere’s first-up prospects in the Railway and, as usual, his opinion was vindicated.
“She’s all class and I was very confident. I got into the three wide train early as I didn’t want to be held up and she just found another gear in the straight,” he said. “I only had to give her a couple behind the saddle and there’s improvement to come.”
The mare will now head to Trentham for the G1 Telegraph Handicap before running in the G1 BCD Group Sprint at Te Rapa.
Entriviere was bred by veteran trainer Kevin Gray with his wife Kathleen, long-time supporters of Cambridge Stud, and was sold privately to David Ellis’ Te Akau operation in a deal brokered by New Zealand Bloodstock.
“We never get sick of winning these big races at Ellerslie, Jamie has done a fantastic job and she was beautifully ridden by Opie,” Ellis said. “We are really proud of the whole team.”
The Grays will offer a half-sister to Entriviere by Burgundy as lot 400 in the Prima Park draft at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.