Te Akau TV - KARAKA MILLIONS SPECIAL
24 January, 2025
Team Te Akau has MILLIONS of reasons why you can't miss this weekend - and we're pretty sure you already know why!
The countdown is on, and the excitement is palpable! The Karaka Millions event is a hugely anticipated event on the New Zealand racing calendar, and Te Akau’s success at this event over the years speaks for itself.. and we're ready to do it again!
With an unparalleled track record, we’ve secured a total of nine victories in the modern day Karaka Millions 2YO and Karaka Millions 3YO, along with numerous runner-up finishes, trifectas, and a first-four. We remain the only stable to have achieved seven consecutive Karaka Millions 2YO titles – and we’re looking to add more names to our already beaming honour roll of talent that have won these races for our owners.
What we particularly love about Saturday as a team is the high level of equine talent gracing the Ellerslie track on Saturday - it's something else. We have a blockbuster evening on the horizon as every race on the card carries black type status.
We have our stable stars like Captured By Love hunting Group 1 Sistema Railway glory; Skew Wiff eyeing up Group 2 Westbury Classic honours; What You Wish For chases the thick end of the $1 million Listed Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic, while Move To Strike aims to become the stable's fifth winner in eight years in the Group 3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy alongside our stellar line up in the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO and 3YO races. This year, we’re excited to have a good number of Te Akau owners involved in more than one contender, with one of our owners having a share in three! The energy surrounding this weekend is electric, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds.
IN RACE ORDER
Group 3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy
- #1 Move To Strike | Blake Shinn | Strapped by Kohen Collett
Listed Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic
- #5 What You Wish For | Blake Shinn | Strapped by Syafiq Hussin
Group 2 Westbury Classic
- #2 Skew Wiff | Blake Shinn | Strapped by Tayla Melvin
Listed TAB Karaka Millions 2YO
- #3 To Bravery Born | Blake Shinn | Strapped by Kohen Collett
- #10 La Dorada | Craig Williams | Strapped by Aiman Hakim
- #14 Belle Du Monde | Wiremu Pinn | Strapped by Murala Mallesh
- #15 Dare To Proisir | Craig Grylls - BALLOT
Listed TAB Karaka Millions 3YO
- #10 Damask Rose | Blake Shinn | Strapped by Rasheed Alam
Group 1 Sistema Railway
- #11 Captured By Love | Craig Williams | Strapped by Syafiq Hussin
It really is going to be an unmissable evening for all who are watching trackside or from home. The action doesn’t just start at twilight! We’re also treated to 12 runners at Riccarton leading into the big night at Ellerslie, plus a runner at Moe on Sunday to chase away the Sunday blues!
If you’re eager to hear all the discussions happening in our camp, our special episode of Te Akau TV is for you! This week, we’re coming to you from the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka sale grounds - the perfect place to discover the future stars that will grace the tracks, compete for our owners, and fuel our shared passion for the game we all know and love.
Joining us for our Karaka Million special are David Ellis CNZM, Mark Walker, and Reece Trumper, before we catch up with Sam Bergerson, who provides insights on our runners at Riccarton Park.
We then focus all of our attention and energy to Sunday, marking the first day of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, where we’ll be scouting for the next batch of champions. With the introduction of the NZB Kiwi and substantial stake increases, we’re on the lookout for horses that will compete at the highest level.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Yearlings & Shares page from 10am Sunday as we start purchasing across all budgets!
We urge you to keep your eyes peeled on our website as many shares sell out quickly. Do remember too, we are always here to chat online and we also invite you on sale days to visit our website, peruse the available shares, and seamlessly secure the one you have your eye on. If you are keen though, don't delay - as the old saying goes, 'if you snooze, you may lose'!
If you're in the area, we’d love for you to join us and experience the excitement that the sales can bring. Please contact the team directly or feel free to make yourself known to the team - we would be thrilled to have you ringside at Karaka to soak up the action with us.
Good luck to all our runners and connections this weekend - and as George Simon says, let’s bring it on in the Karaka Millions!
GO THE TANGERINE!