Celebrating Te Akau's Southern Stars

Te Akau Racing has seven finalists at the South Island Racing Awards to be held on Friday 11 September in the Club Grandstand at Riccarton Racecourse. 

Once again, the Te Akau stable at Riccarton, managed by assistant trainer Hunter Durrant, played a significant role with 46 wins, including six stakes’ wins, which resulted in winning the South Island Trainer of the Year for the third consecutive season. 

South Island Champion Two-Year-Old finalist: Enchantment 

Enchantment (2 f Hello Youmzain – Belle Fascino, by Per Incanto) enhanced a significant record in the race for Te Akau when producing a strong winning performance in the $80,000 Listed Property Brokers Welcome Stakes (1000m) on 11 April at Riccarton. 

Enchantment bounded away to lead for jockey Michael McNab, quickened to a healthy advantage nearing the 200m and never flinched to record a commanding victory, while capturing the 10th Welcome Stakes for the stable. 

Enchantment was purchased for $60,000 by Shamus Mills Bloodstock (Victoria), from the draft of Haunui Farm, at the 2025 Karaka Book 1 Sale. 

Owned by Heath Newton, Waihi Bloodstock, John Blight, Elias Mantinaos, Pat Donato, Robert Revis, G & N Scanlan, Robert Juleff, David Skilton, Kylie Paton & Meagan Nies, Enchantment is a beautiful bodied filly with a lovely temperament and has a pedigree to match. 

South Island Champion Three-Year-Old finalists: Cool Aza Rene, Origin Of Love, Perlino 

With a wing on every hoof, Cool Aza Rene (3 f Cool Aza Beel – Irene, by Xtravagant) was an emphatic winner in the $100,000 Group 3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) on 11 October at Ashburton. 

Very much a Te Akau product, both the sire and dam-sire were purchased by Sir David Ellis as yearlings at Karaka, and each became illustrious Group One winners. 

Having won four of five starts as a two-year-old, Cool Aza Rene was purchased cheaply by Sir David for A$55,000 at the 2024 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Newhaven Park, and is owned by the Te Akau One Cool Beel Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM). 

Remaining competitive against the best three-year-olds in New Zealand, Origin Of Love (3 f Snitzel – Re Edit, by Camelot) won the Group 3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton and Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1600m). She also finished second in the Group 2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m), second in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m), third in the Windsor Park Trophy (3YO, 1500m), and fourth in the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m). 

Owned by the Te Akau 2024 Magic Fillies Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM), Origin Of Love was purchased by Sir David Ellis for A$440,000 at the 2024 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Arrowfield Stud. 

Continuing to grow in stature, Perlino (3 f Super Seth – Palomino, by Exceed and Excel) won the $80,000 Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) on 25 April at Riccarton. 

Having registered the 100th win last season for premiership winning trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson, Perlino had subsequently finished strongly for third in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1600m) on 11 April, as a lead-up to the Warstep. 

Owned by the Te Akau Etched in Gold Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM), Perlino was purchased by Sir David Ellis CNZM for $120,000 at the Karaka 2024 Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud. 

South Island Champion Sprinter finalist: Insatiable 

Strong as an ox and weighing in around 540-kilos, Insatiable (6 g All Too Hard – All Day Baby, by More Than Ready) recorded three wins to 1200 metres last season at Riccarton, while also finishing third in the Listed Stewards' Stakes (1200m), and has now won seven races in total. 

Insatiable was purchased by Sir David Ellis for $190,000 at the 2021 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Windsor Park Stud, and is owned by Te Akau All Too Much Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM). 

South Island Champion Polytrack finalist: Purple Prose 

Purple Prose (4 g Embellish – Lady Masako, by Iffraaj) recorded his fourth course/distance win and led home a Te Akau quinella in the Rating 75 1600 metres on 10 June at Riccarton (poly-track). 

Bred and owned by the Te Akau Cherry Blossom Syndicate (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM), Purple Prose is a half-brother to stable-mate Elegant Lady, the winner of four races 1900m – 2200m who was twice stakes' placed, and is raced by Te Akau Cherry Blossom 2019 Racing Partnership (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM). 

South Island Champion Trainer finalist: Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson (Te Akau Racing – South Island) 

As mentioned, with 46 wins, including six stakes’ wins, the stable won South Island Trainer of the Year for the third consecutive season, while significantly contributing to Walker & Bergerson cementing a hat-trick of both Training Premiership and Trainer of the Year titles at the recent 2025-2026 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year awards, to ensure Te Akau its leadership status for a seventh consecutive year and 17th Training Premiership. 

With a 33-win buffer over second place in the Premiership, Walker & Sam Bergerson recorded 135 wins last season, giving Walker his 13th overall title and Bergerson his third, maintaining an unbeaten record since he began training in 2023. 

Te Akau South Island Stakes' Wins 2025-26: 

11 October Barneswood Farm Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m) Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel) 

25 October War Decree Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) Origin Of Love (Snitzel) 

8 November Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m) Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) 

11 April Welcome Stakes (Listed, 1000m) Enchantment (Hello Youmzain) 

25 April Warstep Stakes (Listed, 2000m) Perlino (Super Seth) 

2 May Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1200m) Zafar (Snitzel) 

Main picture - Captured By Love winning the Windsor Park Group 3 Canterbury Breeders' Stakes