Te Akau Season of Success - Blue Lightning Strikes Again

Looking back over the stellar 2024/24 season for Te Akau owners, we shine the spotlight  on a real 'senior statesman' of the stable - bought by David Ellis CNZM as a tried horse from the Inglis Digital Online sale for $92,500, he has now won just on $320,000 for his new owners - taking his career tally close to $1 million ...

The evergreen Midnight Blue (8 g So You Think – Midnight Special, by Zabeel) made a triumphant return to racing with a stirring win in the A$200,000 Listed Bet365 Seymour Cup (1600m) on 13 October in Victoria, kicking off his campaign in perfect fashion.

A Group 2 Perth Cup (2400m) winner at his peak, Midnight Blue showed he’s lost none of his zest for racing, producing a tenacious, seasoned performance that delighted the Te Akau team and continued a red-hot run for trainer Mark Walker. Operating out of Te Akau’s Victorian base at Cranbourne, Walker has been striking at a phenomenal rate - Midnight Blue was his seventh winner from just 11 runners at the time, following closely on the heels of Bellatrix Star’s history-making Group 2 Schillaci Stakes win the day before, where she became the first filly in 21 years to topple older rivals in the prestigious sprint.

Now an eight-year-old, Midnight Blue is clearly thriving with age. The Seymour Cup was handpicked as an ideal starting point, and he delivered in style - settling into a beautiful trailing position after a genuine early tempo. Relaxing perfectly under in-form jockey, and former Te Akau apprentice, Daniel Stackhouse, he stalked the leaders with poise, slipped up the rail at the top of the straight, and drove home powerfully to take the race in gritty fashion.

The win continued the successful partnership between Midnight Blue and Stackhouse, who also teamed up to win the a$150,000 Thoroughbred Club Australia Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield in May. Their rapport was on full display again as they timed the run to perfection.

Covering the 1600 metres on a Good4 surface in a tidy 1:36.6, Midnight Blue rewarded his backers handsomely - returning $25.90 and $5.70 on the NZ TAB tote - proving that class and heart never go out of style.

Owned by Te Akau Midnight Blue 1 and Te Akau Midnight Blue 2 syndicates, the gelding was a shrewd online buy by David Ellis CNZM, who secured him for just $92,500 through the Inglis Digital November (early) Online Sale in 2023. The purchase has proven a masterstroke.

A son of New Zealand-bred superstar So You Think - himself a ten-time Group One winner purchased by the legendary Bart Cummings at Karaka - Midnight Blue hails from a rich family. His dam, Midnight Special (by Zabeel), was a winner herself and has produced multiple stakes' performers, including the talented Demonetization (All Too Hard), a ten-time winner who collected a trio of Group Two victories and a Group Three success in New Zealand.

Now back in training at Te Akau’s Matamata base in New Zealand, Midnight Blue is gearing up for a jump out scheduled for 21 August. With a career tally that includes seven wins across distances from the mile to the staying trip of 2400 metres, he continues to be a model of toughness, soundness, and determination.

There’s still plenty of sparkle in Midnight Blue - and we can’t wait to see where the next chapter of his remarkable story takes him.