Te Akau Season of Success - Love Conquers All

With the 2024/25 season almost ended, we love looking back at the many highlights in a record-breaking season - the domestic prize money record (already held by the stable) rose to another level - with well over $9 million won for Te Akau owners in New Zealand alone - a new benchmark of excellence ... 18 black type races played their part in this achievement - here is the second of them ...

A star two-year-old, who dazzled in her debut season, three year old Written Tycoon filly Captured By Love returned to Riccarton with unfinished business—and delivered in style.

On one of New Zealand racing’s biggest days - NZ Cup Day (16 November) - she captured her biggest prize yet: the $550,000 Group One Barneswood Farm 1000 Guineas over 1600m.

Already a finalist for Champion Two-Year-Old honours after winning the Group Two Wakefield Challenge Stakes, Group Three Taranaki 2YO Classic, and Group Two Matamata Breeders’ Stakes, plus two Group 1 placings, Captured By Love showed her class by storming home late to claim her first elite-level success.

Ridden by visiting Australian jockey Josh Parr, the filly settled off the pace, tracked through smartly turning for home, and let down with a brilliant turn-of-foot to reel in and draw clear of race favourite Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) by 1.25 lengths.

On a Soft7 surface that played fairly all day, Captured By Love clocked 1:38.9 for the mile and returned $4.30 & $1.40on the NZ TAB. Her performance was both clinical and exciting - proof she had trained on from her standout juvenile campaign.

Captured By Love became the seventh winner in the Group One 1000 Guineas for Te Akau - matching the stable’s seven wins in the Group One 2000 Guineas - Captured By Love added another line to the remarkable record of New Zealand’s leading stable at Riccarton. She joins an illustrious list of Te Akau trained fillies to win this race:

• 2021 – The Perfect Pink (Savabeel)

• 2020 – Kahma Lass (Darci Brahma)

• 2015 – Risque (Darci Brahma)

• 2013 – Costa Viva (Encosta De Lago)

• 2010 – King’s Rose (Redoute’s Choice)

• 2007 – Insouciant (Keeper)

Captured By Love was purchased by David Ellis CNZM from the Milburn Creek draft at the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and races in the tangerine for the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

From 10 starts, she has now recorded five wins, two Group 1 placings, and has earned more than $700,000 in prize money - an outstanding return for a filly bred for both performance and future broodmare value.

Now back in training at Matamata, Captured By Love is building toward her new season campaign and is set to have a jump-out on 24 July.

She truly is a filly that captured hearts early - and continues to give every reason to believe the season ahead will see her continue to shine.