Te Akau Racing - Spotlight On Our Brand-New Stable Down Under!

Introducing Te Akau Racing Australia - our Cranbourne base!

Nestled in the heart of picturesque Cranbourne in Victoria, our stunning new stabling facility is set to re-define excellence for the tangerine team in Australia.

After months of hard work and planning, we are proud to showcase our state-of-the-art stable, designed to provide the utmost of care and comfort for our equine champions. Currently we have 20 boxes, and construction starts early in the New Year on further stabling, increasing our horse capacity to 40 and then 60 in 2024.

Our expansion in to Australia reflects our commitment to delivering top-tier training environments, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our horses and their connections.

With trainer Mark Walker and assistant trainer Ben Gleeson at the helm, our new operation provides a gateway for our horses and owners to compete for excellent prize money in the very lucrative Victorian racing scene, at both metropolitan (city) and country. It also serves as an excellent base for other Australian missions e.g,. Sydney. Our Cranbourne expansion joins our Te Akau stables at Matamata and Riccarton in New Zealand, and at Kranji in Singapore.

“The point of difference with Cranbourne is that it’s a dynamic, modern, purpose-built, training centre,” said trainer Mark Walker. “As well as the main training tracks, it has sand dune tracks with a hill and many lanes. It means horses are very relaxed in what is like a country/beach environment. There are so many options for every horse and you can tailor their programmes according to the individual. It provides a lot of variation to go with the five separate grass tracks and helps keep our horses mentally fresh and engaged.

“We have a great equine (heated) swimming pool, and everything about the facility is just world-class. The Victorian government has contributed to the construction of an ultra-modern, new veterinary clinic which will be in close proximity to our new stable. Racing is so valued and recognised in Victoria for the economic contribution it makes.

"The other advantage of Te Akau's new base is that so many tracks are within the immediate Melbourne vicinity - so all in all, it provides a great experience for owners to have their horses trained there.
Highlighted by Imperatriz, a horse currently called 'the best sprinter in the world', our team of horses has a winning strike rate of 3.5 from our Cranbourne stable.

Imperatriz recently recorded her eighth Group One victory in the A$3 million Group 1 Darley Champions Sprint to end Melbourne Cup week at Flemington. It was her fourth Group One win in Australia, following the William Reid Stakes, Moir Stakes (broke her own track record set in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes), and the Manikato Stakes all recorded at Moonee Valley. No horse has ever won the Group 1 sprinting triple crown at The Valley.

Imperatriz has now won more Group 1 races in 2023 than any other horse in the world.

Purchased for A$360,000 by David Ellis CNZM at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Imperatriz is owned by the Te Akau Invincible Empress Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), She has won 17 of her 23 starts and over NZ$5.3 million in prize money.

On Melbourne Cup Day, Te Akau Australia stable celebrated the victory of Waikato Stud bred and owned mare Skew Wiff in the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes. Prior to heading to Australia she had won the Group 1 Tarzino Trophy in September at Hastings from our Matamata base.

Other winners to date (remembering the stable only opened in late September) include dual New Zealand stakes' performer Rubicon Crossing who raced away on her Australian debut to win at Mornington. Stakes' placed Savoir Faire (Savabeel) has also saluted the judge at Pakenham - both were selected and purchased by David Ellis CNZM.

Join us in celebrating this exciting milestone! Enjoy this inside look into our new home, and stand by to witness the next chapter of Te Akau Racing unfold in Australia.