Te Akau Season of Success - A Classic Cup Week Double

As we review the exciting season that (almost) was, one of the undoubted highlights was the classic Cup Week double - all honours to gallant mare Mehzebeen ...

Just seven days after her strong staying performance in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy over 2600m, Mehzebeen (5 m Almanzor – Salkantay, by Zabeel) etched her name into Cup Week folklore with a commanding win in the $400,000 Group Three Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) on 16 November at Riccarton - delivering a treasured stakes' double and one of the great highlights of the Te Akau season.

Despite being unable to make the weight for her Listed win the week prior, experienced jockey Craig Grylls made a concerted effort to get down to the required 53kg for the Cup - and it paid off in the most emphatic way.

Beginning smartly, Mehzebeen positioned herself outside the leader early, then relaxed beautifully when gaining cover a lap out. She was travelling smoothly as she ranged into contention at the 600m, and once asked to quicken, she surged wide down the best part of the track and drew away powerfully to score with authority. It was a performance full of staying quality, ring-craft, and timing - a genuine two-miler’s win.

Steady in the betting as the second favourite, Mehzebeen returned $5.90 & $2.40 on the NZ TAB tote and stopped the clock at 3:27.4 for the 3200 metres — a strong time on a surface that had firmed throughout the day.

Purchased by Sarai Stud for just $50,000 at the 2021 Karaka Book 1 Sale from the iconic Pencarrow Stud draft, Mehzebeen has been a remarkable story for her ownership group: M E & Y M Davis, Mrs B & W R Duncan, Mrs K J & T L Howe, D J & Mrs S P Rolston, Sarai Stud & Mrs S Waddell.

By Almanzor, a Cox Plate-winning European Champion, and out of a daughter of Zabeel, the now retired Mehzebeen was bred to stay  and she delivered on that pedigree. She hails from a family with deep Te Akau ties: including Te Akau Coup (Matamata Breeders’ Stakes winner) and Don Garcia (Wellesley Stakes), both Karaka yearling purchases by David Ellis CNZM, as well as Sacramento, a triple stakes-winning stayer by Pierro.

Her win in the New Zealand Cup lifted Mehzebeen’s career record to six wins and $558,468 in prize money - and importantly, added another historic chapter to the stable’s black-type success this season.

Cup Day also marked a significant moment in racing history, as trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson became the first ever to complete the Group One NZ 1000 Guineas and Group Three New Zealand Cup  double in the same Cup Week - an incredible training feat across two vastly different racing divisions.

For Mehzebeen and her owners, it was a week to remember. For Te Akau, it was another powerful showcase of staying talent, patient planning, and the strength of our team. A brilliant Cup Week double, and one of the season’s standout success stories.