Te Akau Season - Stakes' Win 23 (NZ) of 30

July sees the final month of our phenomenal 2023/24 racing season.  

As we like to do at this time of the year, we now reflect every day on our Group/Listed performers of the 'season that was' - and there were plenty!  In fact 30 across New Zealand and Australia, with nine at Group 1 level.

Te Akau's rising star filly Captured By Love headed to the Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes with an unbeaten record that had included wins in both the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes and Listed 2YO Taranaki 2YO Classic - and her formidable season kept rolling on just as David Ellis CNZM had predicted it would just three weeks earlier after her stakes' win ...

In brilliant fashion, Captured By Love (2 f Written Tycoon – Moldova, by Snitzel) won the $150,000 J Swap Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on 24 February at Matamata.

Unbeaten in all four starts, Captured By Love impressively won the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr. 2, 1100m) in December at Trentham, and resumed with victory on unsuitable heavy ground in the Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr. 3, 1200m) on 3 February at New Plymouth.

Captured By Love provided a hat-trick in the race for Te Akau, after Zourion won last year and Champion Two-Year-Old homebred filly Maven Belle the year before, while recording the stable's incredible ninth victory in the local 'Derby' - the race every Matamata trainer desires to win.

In what was billed as a match race between Captured By Love and favourite Alabama Lass (Alabama Express), an impressive debut course winner.  However it was Captured By Love that descended on the leaders turning for home, getting the measure of Alabama Lass 200m out, and having the audacity to prick her ears over the concluding stages.

“She travelled beautifully, had a good look at the winning post when she eased up, but she’s all class,” Te AKau stable rider Opie Bosson ONZM said.

“It’s very special this race and I’ve been fortunate to win it a few times. I think you’ve just seen a top-class filly win it again and you just can’t get enough of them.”

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

“What a thrill for us to win this race again, it’s very exciting and I’m especially happy to provide Sam Bergerson with his first win in the Matamata Breeder’s Stakes,” Ellis said.

“It keeps our colours to the forefront on the jockey statue in the birdcage and it’s a race that we just love to compete in and try to win.

“She’s a very exciting filly, one of two very good fillies in the breeding syndicate from that year, and to have one of this quality and class is very pleasing for the owners.

“It’s a credit to everyone involved in Te Akau Racing, at the stables in Matamata, on the farm at Te Akau Stud, and congratulations to Opie (Bosson) on another very well thought out ride.

“Also a special thanks to our racing manager Reece Trumper, who is doing a fantastic job in the role and a great help to Karyn and me when it comes to syndicating the horses.”

Becoming one of the best juveniles this season in New Zealand, Captured By Love won twice at Group Two level, plus a Group Three victory, and twice Group One placed in the season.

By an outstanding sire, Written Tycoon (Iglesia) topped the Australian General Sires’ List in 2021 after rising from an initial service fee of A$8,250 to command A$165,000 and now has a private fee.

Leading First Season Sire and Champion Two-Year-Old Sire, Written Tycoon is also a sire of sires with Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m) winner Capitalist, Group One winners Written By and Ole Kirk, and Rich Enuff, Winning Rupert. 

Dam-sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), a two-time Champion Sire of Two-Year-Olds in Australia, equalled then surpassed Danehill with a record number of individual two-year-old winners in a season – a mark that now stands at 35. He has also headed the General Sires’ List twice and Australian Champion Sire in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

As a broodmare sire, Snitzel, a son of Champion Broodmare Sire Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), is increasingly making his presence felt and last season his daughters left 10 stakes winners.

Captured By Love is the first foal of Moldova, who won twice at 1100 metres in Australia, while the dam-line has mated tremendously with eight time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), including multiple stakes' winner Savvy Nature, stakes winner Addictive Nature, and 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) winner Hasahalo.

In work at Matamata, Captured By Love is scheduled for a jump out on 25 July.

Te Akau previous wins in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) include:

2023 – Zourion (Zoustar)

2022 – Maven Belle (Burgundy)

2017 – Gold Fever (Savabeel)

2009 – Te Akau Rose (Thorn Park)

2008 – Te Akau Coup (Thorn Park)

1995 – Bayremah (Kingdom Bay)