Saturday Double - La Dorada G2 Glory

Quality prevails, as Champion Two-Year-Old La Dorada (3 f Super Seth – Gold Fever, by Savabeel) returned to winning form in the $400,000 Levin Track Supporters Levin Classic (Gr. 2, 1400m) on Saturday at Trentham - Te Akau's second Group 2 victory in 72 hours following line honours for Kinnaird in the group 2 SkyCity Auckland Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day.

La Dorada was rightly named Champion Two-Year-Old, recording her previous victory in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham, when racing away to score by three and a half lengths in March last year, and having been the eighth winner for Te Akau in the Karaka Million 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m) - and while her spring campaign never went to plan in Australia, it was great to see her back winning in such good style.

Trainers Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson gave La Dorada two exhibition gallops in preparation for a return to racing, where she looked like the La Dorada of old in the second of them at Te Aroha. Her fresh-up run indicated she could be looking for further, when working on speed and rallying well for fourth in the 3YO 1200 metres on 13 December at Te Rapa, won by stable-mate To Bravery Born (Snitzel).

Aided by drawing barrier one, with the services of reigning Champion Jockey Craig Grylls in the saddle, La Dorada rated a top three chance if able to bring her best to the battle – and she certainly did just that.

Away well before being shuffled four back on the inner, La Dorada tracked second placed Swiss Prince into contention near the rail and once clear inside the final furlong, she sprinted home to win by half a length.

“She hopped away okay, but I was happy to take a sit and didn’t want to use up too much,” Grylls said.

“The anchors went on, it was pretty rough and we got shuffled back, but to the horse’s credit, I kept riding her through, it all opened up, and what a wicked turn of foot she had. She’s back to her best.

“Big thanks to Te Akau, David (Ellis), Mark (Walker) and Sam (Bergerson), for putting me on her.”

On footing that remained Soft5 throughout the programme, La Dorada ran 1400 metres in 1:24.4, last 600m in 33.9 (approx.), and paid $8.70 & $2.90 on the NZ TAB tote.

As a comparison, when winning the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m on Good4 footing at the course, she ran 1400 metres in 1:22.6 and last 600m in 34.7.

“It was a frustrating Spring with her,” Walker said. “I think we did the right thing, giving her opportunities in Australia, and for whatever reason nothing went her way – perhaps she’s just not an early spring filly – so we pulled the pin after her second start.

“It gave her a chance to have a break, reset and refresh, and while her first-up run was only a pass mark at Te Rapa, we knew that from the good blow she had afterwards that she would take plenty of improvement.

“Sam, Reece (Trumper), and I, watched her work together on Monday and we all thought it was very, very good work. 

“The overnight trip to Trentham and the race will tighten her up, but we still think there is further improvement to come.

“It was a great ride of Gryllsy’s. He was patient, he could have hooked out, but he rode for a bit of luck. She was travelling, was able to push one out of the way, and won very well. 

“It’s great to see her back. She’s only small, but by golly she’s tough and tries her heart out every time.”

Walker said that La Dorada would now contest the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (Listed, 1600m) on Saturday 24 January at Ellerslie, where she will attempt to become the first horse since Te Akau bought and trained dual Horse of the Year Probabeel (Savabeel) to win the Karaka Millions 2YO & 3YO double, which she achieved when making history in 2020. 

La Dorada became the fifth winner for Te Akau in the Levin Classic, having first won it in 2017 with Hall Of Fame (Savabeel) and most recently in 2023 with Quintessa (Shamus Award).  Imperatriz was also a dazzling winner of the race, which until this year carried prestigious Group 1 status, for the stable - in doing so, she beat On The Bubbles, I Wish I Win and Mohawk Brave - a stable first four.

Owned by the 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.

“It was great to see her back in such good form and winning like that,” Ellis said. “It’s a really big thrill and I was always fairly confident that she’d bounce back to her best. 

“There have been some that thought she might still be a bit below her best, but Mark, Sam, and Reece told me they were confident she could run that sort of race today and it’s a credit to them and all the team that has worked with her.

“The owners had an incredible run with her as a two-year-old. You couldn’t get any more excitement that what she did for them last season, and it now looks like she’s back in form at the right time, with some really good races coming up for her.

“She’ll go to the Karaka Millions 3YO and is of course eligible for the NZB Kiwi, which we won last year with Damask Rose.  At this stage we have about four horses in contention for that. 

“We’ve established a really good record in the Levin Classic over the last few years and when Imperatriz won it (2022) we trained the first four home, including I Wish I Win, who finished third before going on to win big races and over $13 million in Australia. 

“She (La Dorada) wasn’t the biggest when I bought her as a yearling at Karaka, but she was really strong, and by a sire (Super Seth) that we thought was a big chance of making the grade.

“Super Seth was a colt that had an incredible turn of foot and we knew the family very well having trained her mother Gold Fever, who we bought at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast - and it just looked like a really good mating.

“The win continues a great start to the year for the stable, after winning the Group 2 Eclipse Stakes with Kinnaird (Home Affairs) on New Year’s Day at Ellerslie and two other races on the programme, plus one in Melbourne that day. Today we also saw Zantabulous bounce back to win the Thames Gold Cup and that too was a very satisfying result for her patient owners.

“it's timely too as I head off with our buying team on the 9 January to the Magic Millions Sale on the Gold Coast, and then Karaka at the end of the month.”

La Dorada is from the second crop of Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth (Dundeel), already the sire of four individual Group One winners, including La Dorada, whose four stakes’ wins are the most for the sire. 

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 Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m). 

Te Akau had first-hand knowledge of the family, with David Ellis having bought La Dorada's dam Gold Fever as a yearling for A$110,000, from the draft of Sledmere Stud, at the 2016 Gold Coast Yearling Sale – and she too carries the 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 Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) and placing in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).

In a brief career, Gold Fever, by 10-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), won three of her six starts and finished third in the others. 

The first two-year-old to win over $1 million prize money in her first season racing, as a two-year-old, La Dorada has now won five times from nine starts and just shy of $1.3 million in earnings for her proud ownership team.

La Dorada is proving another outstanding yearling purchase. Last year, she became the 10th of 12 Champion Two-Year-Old award winners for Te Akau that were either bought or bred by Ellis. 

La Dorada was strapped by Rhiannon Smith. 

Photo credit - Peter Rubery - www.teakauracing.com