Riccarton Treble - Love Conquers All in Group 1

Boasting all the right attributes, Captured By Love (3 f Written Tycoon – Moldova, by Snitzel) recorded a classy victory in the Group 1 $550,000 Barneswood Farm 1000 Guineas on New Zealand Cup Day (16 Nov.) at Riccarton.

A finalist for Champion Two-Year-Old last season, after winning the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr. 2, 1100m), Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr. 3, 1200m), and Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) – becoming the ninth winner of the race for Te Akau – and also placed twice at Group One level, Captured By Love secured a seventh victory for the stable in the prestigious race for fillies, matching their seven wins on the course in the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m).

Te Akau had most recently won the 1000 Guineas in 2021 with The Perfect Pink (Savabeel), with seven wins in total for the stable in the event since 2007.

Ridden by visiting Australian jockey Josh Parr, who rode two stakes winners for Te Akau during Cup Week in 2022 at Riccarton, Captured By Love settled off the pace, saved ground to the inside of runners entering the straight, and let down with terrific acceleration to reel in and get away from race favourite Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) by one and a quarter lengths. 

“A Group One in New Zealand and I feel great,” said Parr, after recording his 12th win at the highest level.

“Two years I came to ride at this Cup Week for Te Akau and the final day didn’t go well, with the races being cancelled.

“Middle to three-quarters of the way out on the track is the place to be, but it opened up on the middle to inside so I took the shortcut and we idled up alongside the favourite and we were the stronger filly.

“I was given great confidence by Reece (Trumper), Mark (Walker), Sam (Bergerson), the Te Akau team has been great to me in the past and they’re huge contributors both here and in Australia.”

On Soft7 footing that held together nicely, Captured By Love ran 1600 metres in 1:38.9 and drifted in betting to pay $4.30 & $1.40 on the NZ TAB tote.

“It was a great win and well done to our racing manager Reece Trumper for getting the services of Josh Parr,” said Mark Walker, who trains with Sam Bergerson.

“At the top of the straight it could have got ugly, but Group One jockeys make Group One decisions and Josh got a lovely run through on the inside. 

“Big thanks to Dave (Ellis) who bought the filly without any owners and it take great nerve to buy the ones you want, and full credit to Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) for filling the syndicate. 

“It’s been an interrupted preparation for Captured By Love, but the 1000 Guineas was the one we wanted.

“Full credit to Sam, I’ve spent a lot of time at our Melbourne stable during the spring. He held his nerve by not giving her a hard gallop on Tuesday, just didn’t think she needed it, and the result was a very satisfying win for everyone involved. 

“She’s only going to improve heading into the autumn, so very exciting times ahead for Captured By Love.” 

On course, Bergerson said: “It hadn’t all gone to plan with race meetings being cancelled and some bad luck with tracks, and she missed the start in the Hawkes Bay Guineas, but fair play to overcome those things and win on the preparation she’s had.

“It was a fantastic ride by Josh. We didn’t give him too many instructions other than get her relaxed, breathing well, and into a nice rhythm, and he worked it out. 

“Massive thanks to the team at home, especially in the Middle and Uni Barns, and the team down here in the stables at Riccarton. She’s had a bit of extra TLC these last couple of weeks and it’s fantastic to see her produce that performance today.”

Owned by Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), Captured By Love was purchased by David Ellis CNZM at the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Milburn Creek. She has won five of her 10 starts and prize money over 700,000.

In her acceptance speech on behalf of the owners, Fenton-Ellis paid tribute to the contribution in racing and sponsorship by Barneswood Farm.

“It’s a privilege to win this race for the seventh time,” she said. “Congratulations to David Ellis for buying this filly, the owners who understand how good she is, and Mark and Sam for the way they have managed her through a somewhat difficult preparation.

“Today, she showed all the spirit and class that she possesses, and thank you to Joshua Parr for coming over and riding such a great race.

“Nothing gives us more joy than to win a race like the 1000 Guineas for such a great group of owners, and it’s a special privilege to be on the podium accepting the awards from the Canterbury Jockey Club.”

By an outstanding sire, Written Tycoon (Iglesia) topped the Australian General Sires’ List in 2021 after rising from an initial service fee of $8,250 to command $165,000 and now has a private fee.

Leading First Season Sire and Champion Two-Year-Old Sire, Written Tycoon is also a sire of sires with Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m) winner Capitalist, Group One winners Written By and Ole Kirk, and Rich Enuff, Winning Rupert. 

Dam-sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), a two-time Champion Sire of Two-Year-Olds in Australia, equalled then surpassed Danehill with a record number of individual two-year-old winners in a season – a mark that now stands at 35. He has also headed the General Sires’ List twice and Australian Champion Sire in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

As a broodmare sire, Snitzel, a son of Champion Broodmare Sire Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), is increasingly making his presence felt with stakes winners from his daughters. 

Captured By Love is the first foal of Moldova, who won twice at 1100 metres in Australia, while the dam-line has mated tremendously with eight-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), including multiple stakes winner Savvy Nature, stakes winner Addictive Nature, and 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Hasahalo.

“It gave me an enormous thrill to see her win the race, especially for the owners, as a lot of them are very loyal to Te Akau and very special people to us,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM.

“I’d like to make special mention of Ashlyn Lee, who has looked after her down there, a great young horse woman, and to our assistant trainer Nicole Shailer and her team for the work they’d done with the filly beforehand in Matamata.

“Mark and Sam did a great job to have her in such magnificent order for the 1000 Guineas, and I thought it was terrific winning run by her. It was brilliant team effort.

“It’s incredibly valuable for a filly with her pedigree to win a Group One and the 1000 Guineas is such a prestigious race.

“Her sire, Written Tycoon, stands at Yulong Stud, and the first text I had congratulating us was from its CEO Vin Cox, and Mr Zhang, who owns Yulong, has been extremely good to Te Akau, giving us nice fillies to train.

“He bought Melody Belle, our dual Horse of the Year that won 14 Group Ones, as a broodmare and he’s given us her first foal to train. 

“He also bought Imperatriz, who won 10 Group Ones for us, and it’s great to deliver Yulong such success by training a Group One winner by their stallion.

“Captured By Love only left Matamata at 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning, heading to Christchurch, and I’d especially like to thank Hunter Durrant and his team that do such a fantastic job looking after the horses for us at Riccarton. 

Captured By Love was strapped by Ashlyn Lee. 

Photo credit - Ajay Berry - www.raceimages.co.nz