Te Akau’s well-bred Avantaggia closes out season in style

Regally-bred filly Avantaggia closed out her season in winning fashion at Ellerslie on Monday when taking out the ANZAC Day 3YO (1200m), her second win in succession.

A daughter of Wootton Bassett out of Te Akau Racing’s nine-time Group 1 winner Avantage, Avantaggia has taken longer than desired to mature, but she is now coming into her own, having now won three of her six starts this season.

A last start winner over 1200m at Otaki, the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained filly was one of several unlucky three-year-olds not to make last Saturday’s Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) field, which was taken out by stablemate Drops Of God, but found a suitable Plan B in Monday’s three-year-old feature.

“From the outside gate I got the best possible run I could,” jockey Craig Grylls said. “We were in the three wide train with cover, she has idled into it, and she really let rip once she balanced up. She is a really nice filly.

“There is a bit of hype around her with her breeding and she is an exciting one to follow.”

Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s assistant trainer Reece Trumper said: “We had a lot of immaturity problems with her early doors, but she has just got better and better. She started in that Well Written maiden at the start of the season, which is probably the best maiden race in New Zealand. She is going the right way.

“She will head for a break now and she will get ready for her four-year-old season. It is good that she has won three races this season.”