Te Akau Talent Gears Up for New Season

Dennis Ryan reports for Raceform:

As the 2025-26 racing season draws to a close and the build-up to spring racing gathers momentum, RaceForm will in the weeks ahead present an overview of plans for members of the country’s leading stables. 

First cab off the rank in this week’s edition is the potent duo of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, who are poised to sign off their third consecutive trainers’ title for Te Akau Racing’s combined Matamata and Riccarton operation.

Ahead of the final week of the season, the partnership’s New Zealand tally stood at 135 wins for stake-earnings of more than $8 million. Their 19 stakes successes are headed by the Group One winners Quintessa (Proisir Plate), Lara Antipova (Sistema Stakes) and Seize The Day (Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes). 

Complementing them, across the Tasman Belle Cheval won the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill in her only start after finishing a nose second in the NZB Kiwi, while former leading Tasmanian sprinter Geegees Mistruth, who had been transferred earlier in the season to Te Akau’s Cranbourne stable, added the Gr.1 Robert Sangster Stakes at Morphettville.

On the home front, Australian returnee DAMASK ROSE is amongst those to have already had a trial as she bids to recapture her best form after a luckless four-year-old season. The winner of the Karaka Millions 3YO and inaugural NZB Kiwi in the final two starts of her three-year-old season, Damask Rose’s best results in nine Victorian starts were placings in three races at Group Two and Three level.

“She’s back from a tough autumn campaign when nothing much went right and it’s good to see her coming to hand with a long, slow build-up,” Bergerson told RaceForm. “After her last run in the Australian Cup she had a break of two weeks in Victoria and then another month at Te Akau Stud.

“She came back into the Matamata stable via the water treadmill and it’s great to see her now fully furnished into a big strong mare. Her attitude is good, complemented by that bit of sass she’s always had, and with the reasonable weather through July, she was forward enough to have a hitout in a 1000-metre trial at Avondale last week.  

“We left the black earmuffs on with the instructions to Michael McNab to let her find her feet and she settled at the back of the field, but it was good to see her pick up and really charge.”

Damask Rose may be borderline to make the field for her first new season target, the Gr.1 Proisir Plate at Ellerslie on September 5, and that is likely to dictate her exact path towards that race.

“The field for the Proisir Plate is selected on black-type form and with her two biggest wins being Restricted Listed races and no Group-rated wins, she’s not guaranteed to make the field. That might force our hand to run her in the Foxbridge Plate, but at this stage she’ll run in the black-type trial at Te Rapa on August 8 and we’ll take it from there.”

Bergerson points to another rising five-year-old in the Matamata stable, TOP SHELF, as one to watch in her spring return. Also by Savabeel, and a sister to former smart Te Akau galloper Brando, Top Shelf quickly found form as a summer three-year-old but after finishing second in the Gr.2 Ellis Fillies’ Classic, a cannon-bone fracture meant a long layoff. 

After being patiently handled through the early stages of her four-year-old campaign, she was impressive when winning a support race on Champions Day and finished second in her two remaining starts, the last of those for a head defeat in the Gr.3 Manco Easter.

“It was a pity she had that injury at three just when she was hitting form, but it was good to see what she did in the autumn,” Bergerson said. “With the added maturity she’s going to be an interesting proposition come spring-time.”

Rising four-year-olds DROPS OF GOD, LA DORADA, AVANTAGGIA, ORIGIN OF LOVE, HE WHO DARES, HOSTILITY, THUMBELINA and TOWERING VISION are all in the mix ahead of the new season.

One member of that group for whom high hopes are held is Drops Of God, the winner of three of her four starts to date capped by the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes in the autumn, when she led from an outside gate and never looked like being overhauled.  

“We think Drops Of God will develop into a good mare this season, one that can go to the next level,” says Bergerson. “She was doing so well in the paddock at Curraghmore, we brought her in earlier than intended and she’s just had her first piece of three-quarter work. 

“She’s so fast, we’ll probably work back from the Railway, but to begin with we’ll get her up and going and perhaps give her a spring preparation and take it from there.”

The Hello Youmzain filly has a current rating of 80, which will enable her to be placed well in the opening stages of her campaign, as will also be the case with fellow rising four-year-old LA DORADA. The former star two-year-old opened her second season in Victoria, but after two below-par efforts she returned to New Zealand and bounced back to form when winning the Gr.2 Levin Classic, followed by a third placing in the Karaka Millions 3YO and a midfield finish in the NZB Kiwi.

“She had a nice quiet trial at Avondale last week and the beauty of her being rated 80 will enable us to start off light with her and build from there,” Bergerson said. “She’s never going to be big but she makes up for that with toughness, and that should stand to her again.

HOSTILITY and HE WHO DARES, who have been gelded since last racing, are making pleasing progress in the early stages of their spring preparations. 

“He Who Dares is a very talented horse and it was frustrating to see him run all those placings without winning one. He pushed Well Written close in the Auckland Guineas, ran second to her again in the Karaka Millions, then it was a great effort to finish third in the Kiwi.

“He chipped a fetlock in that race but he’s come back well from that and with his liking for Ellerslie you can expect to see him targeting races there.

“It’s hard to believe Hostility is still a maiden after finishing second in the Manawatu Sires, but he had a very frustrating three-year-old campaign when it all went wrong. We certainly know he can gallop, he’s a big strong lad now and he should be at the trials some time in August.

“We’ve also got good hopes for horses like Avantaggia, Origin Of Love, Thumbelina and Towering Vision. Avantaggia has really developed, and after what she showed at the end of her last preparation, we think she can continue to step up.

“Thumbelina took a bit of teaching but she also came to it well with two wins in the autumn, especially that last one at Ellerslie. King’s English won twice at Ellerslie and the second of those was against a strong field. He took a while to mature and we’re not in any hurry with him, so he’s a bit away yet.

“Towering Vision has had one trial and is coming along well, the thing with him is deciding whether he quite gets 2400 metres. After running second in the Waikato Guineas he finished only seventh in the Derby, but the sectionals show he ran the fastest last 200.”

The most forward amongst the proven members of Te Akau’s New Zealand-based rising three-year-old crop is KINNAIRD, whose juvenile season began with wins at his first two starts and ended when fourth of four on an unseasonal heavy track in the Matamata Slipper. 

“He kicked off with a trial win at Avondale and could be one for the Northland Breeders’ Stakes in the middle of August. He’s a big lad now and it will be interesting to see how he develops as he steps up in distance.”

Kinnaird is on the third line at $10 on the TAB’s pre-nominations market for the New Zealand 2000 Guineas. Stablemate SYSTEM OF PLAY is the $6 equal favourite for the Riccarton classic, while ZAFAR, who is already in Te Akau’s Riccarton stable, is next at $8.

“Touch wood, System Of Play will be our main 2000 Guineas hope,” Bergerson said. “He was impressive winning his only start at Te Rapa and is really nice colt with a great attitude. He’ll run at the Te Rapa trials next Tuesday.

“Zafar also showed plenty to win the Champagne Stakes at Riccarton in his only start and he’ll probably trial in mid-August ahead of a 1000-metre race at Riccarton at the end of the month. SWEETEST THING is a well-performed filly who has joined the team after being bought by Glentree Thoroughbreds. She’ll stay here until the 1000 Guineas and all going to plan she’ll kick off in the Canterbury Belle Stakes in early September.”

Two more with South Island spring plans in place are more proven stable members COURT OF APPEAL and DREAM OF THE MOON.  

“Court Of Appeal has already had a trial and her programme will work back from the New Zealand Cup. Dream Of The Moon has a good record at Riccarton and was knocking on the door all season without much luck. We hope to make the most of the good tracks down south.”

Te Akau’s star juvenile pair LARA ANTIPOVA and SEIZE THE DAY are well settled in the Cranbourne stable, from where Mark Walker reports that both are progressing well towards major spring targets.

“Seize The Day will trial next week and have another two weeks later before kicking off in the McNeil Stakes at the end of August,” Walker said. “Then it’s three weeks to the Guineas Prelude and the same to the Caulfield Guineas on October 10.

“The big question when you’re taking on the best Australian three-year-olds is how New Zealand form measures up. In his favour is Seize The Day is a fantastic type of Australian-bred, a big strong boy, so we’re certainly keen to give him his chance.

“Lara Antipova is also Australian-bred and she couldn’t have done much more to be unbeaten up to Group One as a two-year-old. She had a nice hitout in a trial at Caulfield last week and she’ll also follow a traditional path with the aim of running in the Thousand Guineas in October.”

Walker is well pleased with the progress to date by BELLE CHEVAL, who finished third in an 800-metre Caulfield trial a fortnight ago and will begin her campaign aimed at the A$10 million Goden Eagle in a mares’ race at Caulfield in late August.

“She thickened up during her time off and looks good. Taking on older horses is challenging for any horse coming out of its three-year-old season, but we should get a good line on her Golden Eagle prospects in races like the Rupert Clarke and Toorak.”

An early season Group One starter for the Cranbourne stable will be BELLATRIX STAR, who returned from a long layoff to finish a close second in the Gr.3 Monash Stakes earlier this month, confirming plans for the Gr.1 Moir Stakes on September 5.

“That was pretty satisfying to see her run so well first-up and a fitting reward for her owners’ patience,” Walker added. “She’s still very lightly raced and deserves a shot at the Moir, then all going well we can look at the Manikato Stakes and the Champions Sprint.

“GEEGEES MISTRUTH is already a Group One winner for us and she’ll follow a similar path to Bellatrix Star, races like the Moir, Manikato and Champions Sprint. She had a barrier mishap at the start of the season, so it was great to see her bounce back and win a time-honoured race like the Robert Sangster.”

In their role at New Zealand’s dominant two-year-old stable, Walker and Bergerson nominated two members of Te Akau’s class of 2026 worthy of following. 

“A colt called SCORCHING that we bought off Beaufort Downs at Karaka should be one to step out early,” Walker suggested. “He’s a good type of Too Darn Hot and might be our first starter provided his jumpout later this week and a hitout at the Avondale trials go to plan.”

Bergerson pointed to Savabeel filly PERFECT POISE, a graduate of Jamieson Park’s Karaka draft, as one to watch out for. “She’s a classic type, reminds me of Belle Cheval at the same stage,” he said. “She won’t be one of our very early runners, but she’s one to look forward to a bit later in the season.” 

Main picture - Seize The day winning the 2026 Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes