Te Akau Racing’s liking for the progeny of our stallion Almanzor has had its latest reward with Kith ‘N’ Kin romping to her maiden victory over 970 metres on the all-weather track at Cambridge.She settled off the pace under jockey Vinnie Colgan before improving wide across the top and produced a stirring finish to win going away by a length and a-quarter.Raced by breeder Ronald Lau, Kith ‘N’ Kim has required careful handling and the four-year-old was making just her third appearance.“It was a nice patient ride of Vinnie’s and Ronald has allowed us the time to get her right for racing,” co-trainer Mark Walker said.“She’s had numerous little things go wrong, including a paddock injury, but she’s shown ability and we love the stock of Almanzor and look forward to her stepping up over more ground.”Te Akau also trained Kith ‘N’ Kim’s three-time winning dam Kindred, while granddam Kind Return was also a multiple winner add finished fourth in the G1 Auckland Cup.From the family of dual Group 1 winner and producer Tarzino, Kindred also has an unraced Almanzor three-year-old colt and a juvenile filly by Hello Youmzain.

Almanzor made his presence felt on the Group 1 undercard on the opening day of the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival.His capable son Dimaggio turned his fortunes around with a commanding performance to put away his Rating 65 rivals over 1600 metres.The Tony Pike-trained four-year-old had finished fifth when resuming last month at Taupo where he was tightened for room in the straight and he made his own luck at Hastings.He jumped quickly for jockey Kozzi Asano to take up the running and produced a strong kick in the run home to post his second career victory from 12 appearances.“It probably wasn’t the pre-race plan to be in front, but he jumped well so it was a good ride by Kozzi,” Pike said.The Cambridge horseman secured Dimaggio out of Curraghmore’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $95,000.He was bred byT ony Aldridge, Gerard & Vera Moughan and Mary Stanley out of the Pins mare Pinstripe, who is a half-brother to the multiple Group winner Firebolt.Dimaggio has been a work in progress and Pike expected the gelding to improve further with experience and is planning a return trip to Hastings.“He has come back stronger and we’ll take him right through the grades and we might look to come back here in three weeks times,” Pike said.

French import Athabascan showed his appreciation of the step up to 2400 metres at Randwick to open his Australian account with victory in the Listed City Tattersalls Club Cup.The sparingly raced son of Almanzor had been out of the money over shorter trips in his two lead-up performances for trainer John O’Shea before his depths of stamina were well-emphasised under rider Tom Sherry.�He's a stayer to be reckoned with,� said Assistant Trainer Tom Charlton.�He's going to stay further and hopefully go onto another nice race this spring.�Sherry employed daring tactics to stunning effect and, after racing midfield one off the fence, improved sharply 600 metres from home to kick clear into the straight and Athabascan stayed on strongly to waltz home by two and a-half lengths.The gelding began his career in France with champion trainer Andre Fabre and broke his maiden over 2000 metres before placing at stakes level and was then secured by OTI Racing to continue his career in Australia. Athabascan is out of the Dansili mare Alzubra, who was successful on five occasions including the Listed Prix Dahlia.He is the tenth stakes winner for his sire and joins Manzoice, Cheval d'Or, Rajapour, Unanimous Consent and Katoucha as stakes winners out of Danehill-line mares.

Talisker’s juvenile form seemingly placed him in a class of his own when he resumed at Riccarton and so it proved with the three-year-old a cut above his rivals.

The exciting son of our young stallion Embellish was caught wide early before pressing on to lead and lengthened stride impressively in the run home to score over 1200 metres for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and rider Niranjan Parmar.“It was a good effort because he did a bit of work to get across (to lead) and I thought he was hugely impressive, after doing so much work, the way he strode away to win,” said Walker.

“We’ve got a very high opinion of the stallion Embellish, and this bloke will only get better as he gets over more distance.”

Talisker, who stopped the clock in an impressive time of 1:09.10, displayed a high level of ability as a two-year-old despite remaining a maiden. He was third on debut last season behind subsequent Karaka Million winner Tokyo Tycoon and runner-up next time out in the G2 Eclipse Stakes to Trobriand, who went on to post three stakes placings.

Nominated for the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, Talisker is being kept safe on the fourth line of betting at $12 in the market for the Karaka Million 3YO.

He was bred by Craig Grammer and Paul Stopforth out of the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Glenkinchie and purchased by Te Akau chief David Ellis for $70,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale where he was offered by Landsdowne Park.

Kelly Schweida’s frustration came to an end at Doomben where the well-related Signita struck the first winning blow of her career. The victory was overdue for our homebred daughter of Almanzor, who impressed her Eagle Farm-based trainer from the outset.“She has showed me as much as any horse in trackwork, but she’s had a few issues so this has been very good and she’ll gain confidence from it,” Schweida said.“It’s a great result for a gorgeous filly with a great pedigree.

”The four-year-old settled three back on the fence before rider Kyle Wilson-Taylor angled the chestnut into the clear across the top and she let down strongly to win with a good degree of authority over 1660 metres.Signita was sold on our behalf by Bhima Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where Schweida had the final say at A$380,000 for owner Judy Wanless.She is a half-sister to our multiple winner and Group placegetter Manchu and a sister to Carrazana, who recently broke his maiden at his second run from Chris Waller’s stable.

Their dam is the unraced Shamardal mare Empress Cixi, who is in foal to Sword Of State, and she is a half-sister to G2 Saint-Cloud Prix Greffuhle winner and Group 1 performer Ocovango while the second dam Crystal Music won the G1 Ascot Fillies’ Mile.

Castle Way has emerged as a leading G1 English St Leger prospect after the Almanzor colt completed a hat-trick of Newmarket victories.The talented chestnut three-year-old had won his previous two outings over 2000 metres, including the Listed Newmarket Stakes, and has now added the G3 Bahrain Trophy over 2600 metres to his record.In the process, the Charlie Appleby-trained Castle Way provided owner Godolphin with its 2000th stakes success.He rolled along in second spot under jockey William Buick and the half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Palace Pier stayed on gallantly to triumph in a driving finish.“William has always had a lot of confidence in Castle Way. Even when he sat on him as a two-year-old, he said, ‘I love him’. The horse has done little wrong in his career and his only real blip was at Epsom on soft ground,” Appleby said.“We were confident at home that the step up in trip would suit, although it is always a question mark when you are stepping up to a mile and three furlongs from a mile and a-quarter.“The plan was always to ride him positively and I think he stayed well. William said it turned into a sprint and, when he committed, I thought he would have to find again. To be fair to the horse, he dug deep.“We will probably go down the St Leger route now and look towards the Great Voltigeur Stakes.”Buick said Castle Way, who has won four of his six starts, had continued to improve with racing.“He is a very relaxed horse and I was able to put him where I wanted. My plan was to make my move and then get the fence and he kept finding a bit more and I felt I was well on top at the line.“This horse has gone from strength to strength and has proven now, even though it was not a stamina test at the trip, that he stays relatively well. Hopefully, this has opened a few more doors for him.”Castle Way is one of nine stakes winners for Almanzor, who sired this season’s G1 Victoria Derby winner Manzoice.