Te Akau TV - Be Captured By Love This Weekend
14 February, 2025
ARE WE GOING TO BE CAPTURED BY LOVE THIS VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND? LET YOUR HEART RACE AS MUCH AS OUR TRACK STARS!
This weekend, we're unleashing a one-of-a-kind Super Saturday setup as Te Akau gears up for an action-packed weekend in New Zealand and Australia!
Before we dive into the weekend ahead, let's reflect on the past week - I Am Nutz was anything but when winning at Te Aroha, taking our Kiwi season tally to 79 wins for the season. At Te Rapa is was great to see Top Shelf, multiple-stakes' winner Brando's full sister, gain important black type at just her third start, she has a bright future ahead of her.
This weekend gets underway on Friday at New Plymouth, where a stable trio primes us for the big Saturday to come. At 'home' at Matamata, Te Akau will be represented by 13 (who's superstitious?) runners - with plenty of attention focused on our black type contenders:
Te Akau is hunting down our 10th $225,000 Group 2 J Swap Matamata Breeders' Stakes win on Saturday - the stable has three of the seven runners in the event for 2YO fillies: our Karaka Million's 2YO winner La Dorada, Born To Be Royal and Marokopa Falls. If La Dorada can win, she would be the third of her family to do so! That's some serious family bragging rights!
The 2YO colts and geldings face off in the $150,000 Group 3 Fairview Matamata Slipper as we chase down our 11th win in this local feature. There will be a tangerine trio of colts amongst the five contenders - unbeaten two-time stakes' winner Return To Conquer, Karaka Millions 2YO 4th place-getter To Bravery Born and debut winner He Who Dares. This race promises to provide an opportunity for these boys to showcase their ability of which they have plenty!
In the $120,000 Listed Lisa Chittick Champagne Stakes Skew Wiff and My Lips Are Sealed represent the stable - Skew Wiff will carry sentimental favouritism in the Waikato Stud colours, in the race that salutes the vibrant, late Lisa Chittick. Later in the day, the $100,000 Listed Matamata Veterinary Services Equine Kaimai Stakes features What You Wish For who seeks to bounce back on his home track with leading jockey Craig Grylls in the saddle and just 53kgs on his back.
We are also excited to have five runners on Saturday at famous Flemington. Dreamflight gets proceedings underway in the first race on the programme, Savoir Faire is fresh up, and It's Business Time is also back to do the business. Our black type contenders are It's a Wild Night in the A$175,000 Listed The Elms Handicap with Craig Williams aboard carrying 54.5kgs, and Group 1 winner Captured By Love makes her Australian debut in the A$175,000 Listed Desirable Stakes in the hands of Blake Shinn.
Finally, Bendigo rounds out the weekend with Wellington Cup Winner Leaderboard lining up for Fortuna Racing in the Marong Cup.
Looking ahead to next week, there are some key events at Ellerslie to add to the calendar - the Group 1 Otaki WFA, along with the Avondale Cup and Avondale Guineas - as we head towards Champions' day on 8 March.
Best of luck to all our runners and connections this weekend! GO THE TANGERINE!