Te Akau Horses & Humans Shine

The Matamata Racing Awards were held on Wednesday 27 August at the local racecourse.

Taking time out from their business schedules, trainers, jockeys, stable-hands, track staff, and club administrators, were joined by life members, members, owners, and board members, to celebrate the 2024/25 successes. 

One of the leading thoroughbred training facilities in New Zealand, track manager Graeme Styles has long been heralded for the job he and the track team does to work with trainers in achieving the best tracks possible for the horses to train.

Indicative of the facilities and professionalism of the trainers, 28 Matamata trainers were represented by winners last season, earning $22 million in prize money, while 42% of Group One races were won by horses trained there. 

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The D. J. O’Sullivan Champion Trainer Award was won again by Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson. 

After Mark Walker smashed all previous records with 203 wins in NZ and total stakes of more than $8.25 million in 2022/23, he was joined in partnership by Sam Bergerson to register 169 wins, the second highest tally in NZ history and $8 million in prize money in 2023/24.

Last season, the pair recorded a Premiership winning tally of 131 wins, including the Te Akau stable at Riccarton (leading South Island Trainer), 18 stakes' victories (three Group One's), and over $9.2 million in prize money - a new national record. 

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The Lindsay Family Champion Apprentice Award went to Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman.

Hassman recorded 20 wins, placed 31 times, from 140 rides, and earned over $450,000 in prize money. A rising star Hayley is indeed, with a wonderful work ethic and love for the horse! That's Hayley in the main picture receiving her award from Life Member and former MP Lindsay Tisch.

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The R. C. Blake Champion Two-Year-Old award was won by La Dorada (Super Seth – Gold Fever, by Savabeel), giving Te Akau the juvenile title for the ninth consecutive year. 

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.

In a stellar season of four wins from five starts, La Dorada became the eighth winner for Te Akau in the Karaka Millions 2YO (Restricted Listed, 1200m), 10th winner in the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and made it six of the previous seven years when notching the ninth Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes win for the stable – some remarkable statistics.  

La Dorada made history as the only horse to complete the Karaka Millions 2YO/Matamata Breeders' Stakes/Manatwau Sires' Produce Stakes treble. 

Winning four of her five juvenile starts, earning $1,060,750 for her proud owners - she also made further history when becoming the first two-year-old to win over $1 million prize money in New Zealand.

In work at the Te Akau at Cranbourne (Victoria), La Dorada is scheduled to resume in the A$750,000 Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) on Saturday 6 September at Moonee Valley, a race previously won by the stable with Imperatriz.

Accepting the award on behalf of the owners, form analyst and tipster Ted McLachlan said: “Without syndication, myself and the other owners here on the stage would probably not be able to be involved in a filly like La Dorada.

“She’s giving us all an immense number of thrills, Te Akau has done a great job with her and the communications are brilliant, to us as owners, and we can’t thank them enough.”

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Te Akau horses also nominated for awards: Return To Conquer (Snitzel) - Champion Two-Year-Old; Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) and Damask Rose (Savabeel) - Champion Three-Year-Old; Captured By Love and Quintessa (Shamus Award) - Champion Sprinter/Miler, and Mehzebeen (Almanzor) - Champion Stayer.