Te Akau Team is Ready

ANZ Bloodstock reports:

Te Akau maestro David Ellis is feeling the excitement levels ahead of Saturday’s Champions Day meeting at Ellerslie, where he is hopeful of seeing the operation’s iconic tangerine colours – so often in the limelight in New Zealand – brighten what he has described as “the biggest day ever in the history of New Zealand racing.” 

The day which already promises fireworks extends a unique and appropriate stage for Ellis and Te Akau to capture a landmark 100th Group 1 win, with their 99th and most recent coming in November, when Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) took out the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Riccarton. 

Te Akau will try to complete and exceed a century of elite-level wins at Ellerslie, which will host four major Group 1s across a ten-race card with over $8 million up for grabs at the weekend, with a new highlight being the inaugural NZB Kiwi (Listed, 1500m) slot race, worth $3.5 million. 

Ellis was full of praise for the concept of staging the contest for three-year-olds on a card with much historical value.

“The interesting thing about Saturday is it’s a blend of innovation and tradition,” Ellis told ANZ Bloodstock News. “The innovation being the slot race [NZB Kiwi] and the tradition being the Derby, Auckland Cup, and those sort of races.” 

The Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) presents Te Akau their first opportunity to add to their tally of top-flight wins, and Te Akau boast a strong hand in the juvenile feature with three of the top four runners in the market for the $550,000 contest. 

The unbeaten Return To Conquer (Snitzel) is the headline act among the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained trio, with the bookies rating the colt the $2.50 favourite after his last-start win in the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m). 

The son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), whose three wins have all come at stakes level, defeated the fellow Te Akau-owned colt and Saturday rival He Who Dares (Snitzel) in that Group 3 contest on February 15, a win that followed on from his easy victory in the Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) at Ellerslie and in the Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Pukekohe Park on debut.

Just 0.4 lengths separated Return To Conquer from He Who Dares last time and the latter sits on the fourth line of betting behind his stablemate for the Group 1 on Thursday, which Ellis said is ‘probably underestimating’ the colt. 

“All the juveniles that we have got in that race have been working really well this week, we couldn’t be happier with them,” he said.

“Return To Conquer is unbeaten and he was a beautiful yearling when I bought him at Magic Millions [Gold Coast Yearling Sale].”

Ellis forked out $1.3 million to purchase the Blue Gum Farm consignee, the second foal out of the unraced Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Vaujany, herself a sister to the Group 2 winner Ghisoni. 

Meanwhile, He Who Dares is out of Ocean Park (Thorn Park) mare Rondinella, a half-sister to three Group race winners, and was an $825,000 purchase from Haunui Farm's draft at last year's New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale.

The $4 second-elect in the 1200-metre contest is the filly La Dorada (Super Seth), who made it a dominant day for Te Akau three weeks ago when she added to Return To Conquers' win with her victory in the Matamata Breeders' Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) under Michael McNab on the same card.

That effort backed-up a gutsy win under Craig Williams in the Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m) at Ellerslie a fortnight earlier. 

“I purchased her and her mother [Gold Fever], and they both won the biggest race in New Zealand for two-year-old fillies [Matamata Breeders’ Stakes],” Ellis said of La Dorada.

“She won the Karaka Millions, and she’s come through that last race really well. She’s a very tough filly with a lot of class.”

The daughter of Super Seth (Dundeel), who won recently scored his first Group 1 win as a sire when Feroce landed the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), was a $190,000 Karaka buy for Ellis from the draft of Waikato Stud, where the stallion resides. She is the best foal to race out of her Group 2-winning dam Gold Fever (Savabeel). 

McNab rides the filly again on Saturday, while Craig Grylls continues his partnership with He Who Dares – having ridden him in his only two starts – and Australian ace Blake Shinn looks to guide Return To Conquer to four straight. 

They will be joined by Breeders’ Stakes fourth placegetter Marokopa Falls (Hellbent), who completes the Te Akau assault under Liam Riordan. 

La Dorida's tough Ellerslie win two starts back made her half of another notable double for her owners, with Damask Rose (Savabeel) taking out the Karaka Millions 3YO (RL, 1600m) on the same afternoon. 

The three-time winning Savabeel (Zabeel) filly will assume Te Akau’s slot in the NZB Kiwi, for which she is highly rated in the market amidst a stellar field, which includes Australian interest. 

Damask Rose will line up against Group 2 winner and Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) placegetter Evaporate (Per Incanto), as well as Eskimo Prince Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) scorer Public Attention (Written Tycoon) in the 1500-metre showpiece, and she was fine-tuned with an 1100-metre trial win at Taupo on February 26. 

Ellis showed little intimidation over the international competition on Thursday, highlighting the strength in New Zealand's own bloodstock and racing industries. 

“It's created national interest,” he said of the NZB Kiwi. “I think it’s well known that New Zealand breeds more Group 1 horses per foal born than literally any other country in the world. 

“We’ve got as good a bunch of horsemen here as you’ll find anywhere in the world, and we punch well above our weight.”

Ellis was “happy enough with the draw” for Damask Rose, who will depart from barrier eight under Blake Shinn. 

“Blake’s riding most of our horses [on Saturday],” Ellis added. “He’s been over riding track work for us, and is a huge part of our team now.”

Shinn also gets the leg up aboard Qali Al Farrasha (Almanzor) in the $1 million Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m). 

The last-start WFA Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up, who also finished second in the Sunline Vase (Gr 3, 2100m) on Champions Day at Ellerslie last year, will come up against last-start conqueror El Vencedor (Shocking), who has been indomitable in his past three starts and won this race last year. 

“She's a mare that I bred with the Peacock family,” Ellis said of the four-year-old daughter of Almanzor (Wootton Bassett). 

“You can’t fault her form, she’s placed in the Oaks and has been a Group 1 runner-up in her last two starts.”

Dual stakes winner and last-start Avondale Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) fourth Midnight Blue (So You Think) will accompany the mare in the 2000-metre weight-for-age event in the same colours. 

As for the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m), Walker, Bergerson and Te Akau will be represented by Hakkinen (Savabeel), who was fourth last time out in the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m).  

The gelding, who only made his debut in December at Te Aroha, was beaten just 0.7 lengths behind Thedoctoroflove (So You Think) on that occasion, and Ellis thinks the $18 chance is poised to leap forward under Shinn on Saturday. 

“He’s come through that and has improved, his work has been absolutely top class,” he said. “He’s been ridden each morning by Opie Bosson – and he’s one of the best judges I’ve ever met. 

“He’s very confident the horse will run a big race.” 

Group 1-winning seven-year-old Campionessa (Contributer) will face a field made up of three other Group 1-winning mares when she tackles the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m). 

The 2023 Zabeel Classic (Gr 1, 2050m) winner was fifth in last year’s edition of the Group 1 in December, and posted a midfield finish in the Trentham Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) last-start. 

She finished her preparations when third to Damask Rose in their Taupo trial. 

“She’s a horse I bought at Magic Millions for $60,000,” Ellis said. “She’s a Group 1 winner in her last season of racing so we’d just love to see her go out on a high note.”

Ellis is sure to be in attendance on Saturday for what promises to be one of the country’s great race days.

“I'm looking forward to it – it’s the biggest day ever in the history of New Zealand racing,” he said. 

“The Auckland Racing Club have done an amazing job promoting it and their track [Ellerslie] is incredible, they put plenty of water on it so it’s got some give in it, every horse will have its chance.

“It’s very exciting for all the participants, and we’re really lucky we’ve got a minister of racing in New Zealand that's very passionate and understands the contribution that racing makes to the general economy.”