"We believe she is a Group 1 horse in the making and we would like to give her the opportunity to show herself off.
"I just love the way she pins the ears back and tries 100 per cent. You can't train that. It is either with them or it's not and she is doing a super job. She has won five of her six starts and probably with a little bit of luck would be undefeated.
"She is going really well and we think she is a high-class mare."
Entriviere's only defeat was when she was a close second behind Bolt From The Blue in a Rating 74 race over 1400m at Avondale back in November. She began awkwardly that day and over-raced in the middle stages but still managed to produce a strong late finish and was only a nose away at the line.
Simon Turner said this week he and his wife Melissa are getting a huge thrill out of being part-owners of such an exciting mare.
"What she has done so far has been amazing and she has still got it all in front of her.
"One of the other members of the syndicate is the vet for Te Akau Stables and he told me she will probably be at her best in another 12 months.
"The plan is for her to run in the Sapphire Stakes in Sydney and then she will go out for a spell."
The Turners weren't at Ellerslie last Saturday due to the uncertainty of Covid-19 restrictions but they were on course to celebrate Entriviere's victory in the Group 3 $70,000 Concorde Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie on January 23.
"We won't get to see her race in Sydney, of course, but we would like to see her race a lot more when she comes back next season."
The couple are also shareholders in Mizzena, a 6-year-old mare bred by Hawke's Bay's Barry Smyth. They are part of a group that races her, along with Smyth, from the Whanganui stable of Kevin Myers and she has recorded two wins on the flat and been placed over hurdles.
Entriviere was bred by prominent Palmerston North thoroughbred trainer Kevin Gray in partnership with his wife Kathleen and is out of the Golan mare Marcey's Belt.
The Grays' son Stephen is a successful trainer in Singapore and he leased the mare for one of his clients, who decided to mate her with Tavistock.
"Unfortunately the guy who leased Marcey's Belt died while the mare was carrying the foal. I had plenty of other horses around the place at the time so we sold the foal to David Ellis at Te Akau," Gray recalled.
"I am pleased they have got her. They have just let her have time and she is getting every opportunity with them. She is a multiple Group 3 winner now with plenty of upside."
Kevin Gray and his wife Kathleen still own Marcey's Belt and have two younger half-sisters to Entriviere coming on, both by Burgundy. One is a 2-year-old and the other is a weanling.
Gray trained one of the also-rans behind Entriviere in last Sunday's feature sprint at Ellerslie in Rock 'N' Affair, who also chased home the classy mare when finishing fourth in the Concorde Handicap two months ago.
He was nevertheless pleased with the outcome but the octogenarian horseman did say he was starting to wind down his breeding operation.
"Because of my age I am going to sell some of my mares because I have got enough to race with 2 and 3-year-olds here," Gray said.
However, given the deeds of Entriviere, her dam Marcey's Belt may stay in the Grays' ownership for a little while longer.
"I might keep her, but if someone came along and wanted to buy her then I would consider it. She is a beautiful mare," he said.
Marcey's Belt has also left the successful gallopers Granite Ridge (four wins), Satin Belt (three wins) and Welcome Back (one win).
Derby placegetters eye Sydney spoils
The first three horses home in last Sunday's Group 1 $1million Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie are all expected to head across the Tasman to contest rich races at the Sydney autumn carnival.
In a thrilling three-way finish to New Zealand's blue riband event for 3-year-olds, Rocket Spade managed to stave off late challenges from Frontman and Milford to score by a short neck. Only a short head separated the second and third horses with Frontman just managing to get the bob in.
Lance O'Sullivan, who co-trains Rocket Spade with Andrew Scott, has confirmed the Fastnet Rock colt will now be going to Sydney but just what races he contests have yet to be finalised.
"I know the Australian Derby looks the obvious race but we have nominated him for a few races and we will make that call in conjunction with the owners."
In addition to the Group 1 A$2million ATC Australian Derby (2400m) on April 3, Rocket Spade has also been nominated for two other Group 1 races, the $600,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on March 20 and the A$3million Doncaster Handicap (1600m) on April 3.
Rocket Spade was having his eighth start and now boasts a record of four wins and two seconds, with his Derby triumph preceded by an equally gallant winning performance in the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) at Ellerslie last month.
Frontman was having only his fourth career start last Sunday and co-trainer Murray Baker said before the race he would have liked to have got another run into the horse heading into such a tough 2400m race. The fact that he was able to push the winner so close spoke volumes of the horse's ability and he is sure to improve further. He is likely to contest the Rosehill Guineas next as a lead-up to the Australian Derby.
Trainer Stephen Marsh is also considering both races for Milford, who he says is still learning.
"It was only his seventh run and he was still doing a few things wrong but I was happy with the run and he can now go to Sydney."
Doncaster likely for Aegon
The training partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman are now leaning towards a tilt at next month's Group 1 A$3million Doncaster Handicap (1600m) with their star 3-year-old Aegon and bypassing both the Group 1 A$600,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) next Saturday and the A$2million Australian Derby (2400m) on April 3.
Aegon put in an uncustomary subpar performance when finishing sixth in last Saturday's Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m), causing a reassessment of the colt's autumn plans.
It was the first defeat for the son of Sacred Falls, who had previously won all five of his starts, including the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m), Karaka Million Three-year-old Classic (1600m) and the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m).
The Randwick Guineas was just a fortnight after the Hobartville and Forsman, who part-owns the colt with the Zame family, said he didn't handle the shorter turnaround between runs.
"It was a pretty flat run," Forsman said. "We weren't quite sure what to make of it, but we are thankful that he has come through it unscathed.
"All we can put it down to is that he didn't handle, for the first time in his life, having to run on a two-week back-up. We have always kept him fresh and it's pretty obvious the reason why."
Big boost for sire Contributer
Within the space of just four days, a huge black-type double for 3-year-old progeny of Contributer has rewarded years of hard work for Simms Davison and the Mapperley Stud team.
The Matamata nursery has had its ups and downs since entering the stallion business almost a decade ago, including the untimely loss of the highly promising Atlante – sire of 25 winners from just two crops, with three stakes winners including the Hastings-trained Group 1 star Callsign Mav.
But the last week made it all worthwhile as Contributer's first-crop daughter Llanacord delivered his first black-type win in the Group 2 Little Avondale Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Hastings, then Lion's Roar produced a powerful finish to triumph in last Saturday's Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) in Sydney.
Contributer is now the sire of 14 winners from 38 runners, with two stakes winners and another three stakes placegetters.
The son of High Chaparral won the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) and Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) in the famous blue colours of Godolphin and Davison subsequently secured him in a deal with Darley.
"We bought half of the horse, and Darley owns the other half," he said. "He was one of the very first horses I syndicated, and there was a great response from New Zealand breeders."
Despite Darley retaining 50 per cent of the ownership, Davison confirmed that Contributer's future lies on this side of the Tasman.
"He's permanently in New Zealand. When we got the deal done with Darley, part of the agreement was that he would remain over here. The only way he could possibly go over to Australia is through a sale, so Darley would have o buy us out for that to happen."
