La Dorada - Group 1 Gold

Te Akau's $1 million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) winner La Dorada (2 f Super Seth – Gold Fever, by Savabeel) impressively won the $550,000 Courtesy Ford Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr. 1, 1400m) on Saturday at Trentham.

The eighth winner for Te Akau when taking out the Karaka Millions, La Dorada then became their 10th winner in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m), and after stable-mate Move To Strike (I Am Invincible) won the Sires’ last year, making it six of the previous seven, she notched the ninth Sires’ Produce Stakes winner for the stable – some remarkable statistics.

Given a beautiful ride by Michael McNab, who was aboard last time in the Breeders’ Stakes, La Dorada was ready to pounce from fourth on the outer, quickened to lead at will in the straight, and proved a class above her rivals when racing away to score by three and a half lengths. 

Adding to the result for trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson, two-year-old colt Hostility (I Am Invincible) stepped up with aplomb after finishing second on debut, to form the quinella, with a strong performance for second.

It was the 10th Group One for McNab, who gained his first on former stable-mate Melody Belle (Commands) in the corresponding race in 2017, on her way to becoming Champion Two-Year-Old and subsequent dual Horse of the Year. 

Prior to the win, McNab had finished runner-up in six Group One races this season.

“It’s nice to win today,” McNab said. “She’s a star, an absolute star. There’s not much of her, but great ability, great heart, and a great will to win. 

“She’s not the best at cornering and sort of popped herself out. She did it at Matamata, and again today, but she was brilliant.

“Thanks to everyone at Te Akau, especially Dave (Ellis), he knows how much he means to me. To get across the line for him, today, is special.”

On Good4 footing, La Dorada ran 1400 metres in 1:22.6, last 600m in 34.7 (approx.), and paid $3.30 & $1.50 on the NZ TAB tote.

“She’s so tough and deserving of a Group One,” Walker said. “She’s been up a while, had quite a long season, but Sam (Bergerson), the whole team, have done a great job at keeping her up for that long. 

“She’s going to make lovely three-year-old. Full credit to Dave, she wasn’t that expensive and you can’t go wrong buying the Waikato Stud product, either.

“It’s very exciting for everyone, all the owners, and especially for Sam. He’s been holding the fort, as I’ve spent most of my time over the last month at the stables in Melbourne.

“Hostility, to have his second run in a Group One, I think he’s a pretty special horse in the making.”

Owned by Te Akau Solid Gold Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), La Dorada was purchased by David Ellis CNZM for $190,000, from the draft of Waikato Stud, at the 2024 Karaka Book 1 Sale, and winning for the fourth time, from five starts, boosted her earnings past $1 million. 

Te Akau had first-hand knowledge of the family, with Ellis having bought the dam, Gold Fever, as a yearling for $110,000, from the draft of Sledmere Stud, at the 2016 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and she too carries the WS Waikato Stud brand. 

Gold Fever made a made a perfect start to her racing career with a dominant three and a half length win and became a finalist for Champion Two-Year-Old and Horse of the Year following her victory in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m), which La Dorada emulated, and she also placed in the Sistema Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m).

In a brief career, Gold Fever won three of her six starts, while finishing third in the others, and being by nine-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel) has provided her with massive input as a broodmare.

“It’s another fantastic thrill for La Dorada to get a Group One win and the biggest margin she’s scored by all season,” Ellis said. 

“What a brilliant effort by Mark and Sam to have her in such great order with six weeks between races and stepping up for the first time to 1400 metres,” 

“The dam, Gold Fever, was very good and she’s produced one that looks even better. It was the third Group One now for Super Seth, and I’m so proud to have given him his first Group One winner in New Zealand, for Waikato Stud.

“And wasn’t it exciting to see Hostility go such a good race for second, at just his second start.

“We had I Wish I Win in the stable for Waikato Stud when he also ran second in the Sires’ Produce Stakes, at his second start, when we won it with On The Bubbles, so he’s in good company.

“I’m so happy for Michael (McNab), too. He’s a champion person, who means a hell of a lot to Te Akau. He’s a close personal friend of mine and I’m so proud of him.

“He couldn’t have given La Dorada a better ride.”

Super Seth made a fantastic impact as a three-year-old colt, especially when ‘coming from nowhere’ to beat race favourite Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m). 

By sire of sires High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells), Super Seth is a son of six-time Group One winner Dundeel, a very good sire in Australia, with 66 stakes wins including 13 Group One. 

With his oldest crop only three-year-olds, the progeny of Super Seth has impressed trainers from the outset as horses with great natural strength and talent, and La Dorada is his fifth of six individual stakes winners. 

La Dorada carries a cross of Champion Sire Zabeel (Sir Tristram) on the dam line of grand sire Dundeel (High Chaparral) and sire line of Gold Fever. 

“We’re so lucky to have such an incredible team of staff, at Matamata, Riccarton, and Cranbourne,” Ellis added.

“Karyn and I are just so proud of how hard they work and how much the horses mean to them. Not all of the horses can be La Dorada’s, but they’re all certainly looked after the same way and given every chance.

“Our racing manager Reece Trumper, assistant trainers Nicole Shailer, Ben Gleeson, and Hunter Durrant, as well as Mikey Gray, we’ve got incredible people throughout the whole team.

“We bought 62 yearlings and I’m thrilled with the support from our loyal owners, and new owners to the sport, that have got involved.

“We go out on a limb to buy them all on spec and it’s pretty overwhelming the support we get to sell them.

“We’ve got a few shares left to sell, that are listed on our website, and hopefully among them is the next La Dorada. 

“It was our 99th win this season, 14th stakes win, which included Return To Conquer recording our 100th Group One win when he won the Sistema Stakes on Champions Day at Ellerslie, earlier in March, and we intend to keep on buying the best horses we can for the owners. 

“I keep telling people, the last few to sell have had the best record. Horses like Imperatriz and Avantage who won 19 Group One races between, and people are always welcome to get in touch and come out to the farm and inspect them.

“It’s been a great day and we could have another really special filly on our hands, with La Dorada.”

La Dorada was strapped, as usual, by Aiman Azrul.  

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz