Te Akau Triple Saturday & Dual Group 3's

It was a simply super Saturday - three wins in the tangerine - two at Group 3 level!  Also a Listed runner-up, Listed third and Group 3 fourth placegetter as the support act!

The winning weekend takes Te Akau NZ tally to 104 for the season ... and now $5.45 million in stakes won for our owners in New Zealand alone!

The first Group 3 scalp of the day went the way of exciting filly Captured By Love - one of two Magic Millions' fillies that David Ellis CNZM bought at the Gold Coast last year.  She is now three starts for three wins, including a Group 2 victory at her second start and now Group 3 honours.  Her partnership/mate The Victiress also won on debut and likewise has an wonderful future head of her with what she has shown the team thus far.

This year David went back to the Gold Coast we have put together another two-filly partnership with the Snitzel/Re Edit and Savabeel/Urban fillies - only very limited shares are now available so be quick.

Meantime, let's celebrate Captured By Love ...

Unbeaten in three starts, Captured By Love (2 f Written Tycoon – Moldova, by Snitzel) won the $100,000 Platinum Homes New Plymouth Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr. 3, 1200m) on Saturday at New Plymouth. 

After making a perfect start when winning on debut in the 2YO 1000 metres on 12 November at Tauherenikau, Captured By Love confirmed her class with an impressive victory in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr. 2, 1100m) on 9 December at Trentham, and given time (56 days) between runs by trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson she recently finished strongly for second when trialling on 23 January at Taupo.

Although not appearing comfortable on unseasonal Heavy8 footing, Captured By Love was given an economical trip by stable rider Opie Bosson and justified hot favouritism ($1.40) after toughing it out in the straight with Love Poem (Snitzel), the pair over five lengths clear of their rivals. 

Captured By Love ran 1200 metres in 1:13.7 on Heavy8, suggesting that while testing the ground was still reasonable following 50mls rain during the week. 

“She’s a beautiful filly that Dave (Ellis) bought on the Gold Coast and it was a good tough win given the conditions,” Walker said.

“Interestingly, she was one of the last yearlings to fully sell last year. She’d actually trialled and there were still shares available in the two-filly partnership, so it just goes to show that sometimes the last to sell turn out to be the best ones - just like Imperatriz and Avantage, Cool Aza Beel and others.

“Obviously she’s shown a far better turn of foot when winning her first two on good ground, but a terrific ride of Opie’s to keep her in contention and she was very willing.”

Walker said that Captured By Love would next contest the $150,000 J Swap Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on Saturday 24 February, where after winning the corresponding event last year with Zourion (Zoustar) she will attempt to become the ninth race winner for Te Akau. 

“Dave continues to buy these good fillies, not year in year out, he’s been doing it for decades,” Walker added.

It was a strong stakes' performing week for the stable, after winning the Waikato Guineas (Gr. 2, 2000m) with Ascend The Throne (Savabeel) on Wednesday at Te Rapa, while Perfect Scenario (Iffraaj) defended his title in the White Robe Lodge Weight For Age (Gr. 3, 1600m), Elegant Lady (Highly Recommended) finished second in the Dunedin Gold Cup (Listed, 2400m), and Sense Of Timing (Time Test) third in the Dunedin Guineas (Listed, 1500m), on Saturday at Wingatui. while Dream of the Moon (All Too Hard) was a gallant fourth in Taranaki feature.

Captured By Love became the 15th domestic stakes' winner for Te Akau this season, accompanying five in Australia.

Owned by 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.

“It’s a great time of the year to be winning Group races and a big week for some of the owners in the filly that are also in Ascend The Throne, who won the Waikato Guineas for us this week,” Ellis said.

“It’s the fifth time we’ve won that race and she looks a big chance in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes.”

Captured By Love is part of a two-filly syndicate, put together by Ellis, which includes debut winner The Victress (Zousain), while this year the Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate is formed by two recent purchases from the 2024 Gold Coast Yearling Sale: Lot 81 the Snitzel filly and Lot 327 the Savabeel filly. 

“We’re currently working on selling shares in the Fillies’ Breeding Syndicate for this year, so it’s great to see Captured By Love winning her second Group race while being unbeaten in all three starts,” Ellis said.

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

Leading First Season Sire and Champion Two-Year-Old Sire, Written Tycoon has produced horses to win over 120 stakes races including 15 Group Ones, and already 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. Her All Too Hard colt was offered at this year's January Gold Coast sale too, attracting A$500,000.

Captured By Love was strapped by Sarah West. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz