Te Akau talent readies for spring racing
Dennis Ryan - Raceform • July 18th, 2025 3:04 PM • 7 min read
As the 2024-25 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 high-profile 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 yet another trainers’ premiership title.
The Te Akau Racing duo’s current tally of 131 wins in New Zealand for record stake-earnings north of $9 million and 18 stakes races is headed by Group One winners Captured By Love, La Dorada and Return To Conquer along with star three-year-old filly Damask Rose.
That elite group spearheads what promises to be another big season for the tangerine army and includes their growing presence across the Tasman with a 70-box stable at Victoria’s Cranbourne training centre. Read on as Walker and Bergerson provide details of what’s next for their stable stars.
DAMASK ROSE: From just seven starts the daughter of Savabeel has won four times, the last two of those the Karaka Millions 3YO and the country’s richest race, the NZB Kiwi, for stakes of more than $2.2 million. No surprises, therefore, that she has major targets in both Melbourne and Sydney through the opening months of the 2025-26 season.
“She has been here for a few weeks now and is ready for a jumpout,” Walker told RaceForm from his Cranbourne base. “I’m really happy with her and we see her as one of our leading prospects for the big races coming up.
“The plan at this stage is to kick her off in the Gr. 3 Cockram Stakes over 1200m at Caulfield on August 30. Then it’s three weeks to the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, a Group One 1400 at Caulfield, followed by the Gr. 1 Toorak over a mile also at Caulfield.
“The three weeks between each of those races works well, and it will be the same all going to plan for her major spring target, the Golden Eagle up in Sydney at the start of November.”
On top of the $1.2m winner’s purse, the NZB Kiwi win earned Damask Rose a golden ticket to the A$10 million Rosehill 1500m, and while Walker acknowledges what’s entailed up against Australia’s best sprinter-milers, he’s up for the challenge.
“Having a base at Cranbourne works well alongside the Matamata stable and puts us in an ideal position to make the most of what’s available both here and in New Zealand.”
Transtasman opportunities are foremost in plans for Gr. 1 Sistema Stakes and Karaka Millions 2YO winner LA DORADA, beginning in Australia and extending to New Zealand for the second half of her three-year-old season. Those plans comprise two neat halves, the first in Australia and the second in New Zealand.
“We’ve got four races in mind for her in Melbourne culminating in the 1000 Guineas at Caulfield in October, then she’ll have a break back home and get ready for the Karaka Millions 3YO and the NZB Kiwi,” Walker said of the Super Seth filly.
“She spelled really well and with her having proven herself at 1400m in the Sires’ Produce, we can set our sights on races up to 1600. She’s very tough, a real racehorse.”
Fellow Group One-winning two-year-old RETURN TO CONQUER also has a defined Melbourne spring target, the Gr. 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on the opening day of the Cup carnival. As with any prime target in that arena, Walker is well aware of the enormity of the task to aim the unbeaten son of Snitzel at what is recognised as one of Australia’s stallion-making races.
“It will be quite a step up for him but one that he deserves to have a shot at. With his pedigree and what he’s achieved to date, we had to make a plan like this.
“Winning the Sistema in early March, he was able to go to the paddock early and he spelled really well – he came back in 40 kilos heavier – but he needed to do that if he’s to measure up over here.”
Walker also identifies a pair of Australian-owned rising three-year-olds with the potential for big things in the spring. The first is Snitzel filly SAMUDRA, who won on debut at Sandown in May as the odds-on favourite after winning her three jumpout trials, while Shamus Award gelding CINTURATO has also shaped up well at the jumpouts.
“Samudra is a big, solid filly owned by Kia Ora Stud; she looked good winning her only start,” Walker said. “Cinturato is by Shamus Award and will be raced in partnership with OTI. Along with the filly I really like him as one to keep an eye on in the early spring.”
Part of what Walker refers to as a “good spread” of rising two-year-old talent are three colts by Snitzel, a pair of I Am Invincible filles, another by former Te Akau-trained star Cool Aza Beel and a Nicconi half-brother to multiple stakes winner Bellatrix Star shaping up at Cranbourne.
Back at home base, Walker’s training partner Sam Bergerson is also looking forward to what the new season holds, even if he has at least temporarily bid farewell to some of the serious talent whose careers began in the Matamata stable.
“For sure, in one respect it would be good to see those proven horses continue here, but the reason Dave (David Ellis) and Mark set up the Cranbourne stable was to give them their best chance over there,” Bergerson reasoned when discussing new season prospects.
“We’ve already seen the worth of having a permanent base in Australia and it’s to everyone’s benefit that our horses get to make the most of the opportunities.”
Even in the absence of Return To Conquer and La Dorada, the Matamata stable still has a wealth of rising talent being readied for spring three-year-old features. The most exciting member of this group is the country’s highest-rated maiden, blue-blooded colt HOSTILITY.
The $1.65 million Ready To Run Sale graduate, by champion stallion I Am Invincible from dual Australian Group One winner Shillelagh, had just two starts in the autumn, finishing a close second on debut followed by the same placing to his stablemate La Dorada in the Gr. 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes. That’s why Hostility’s rating is 72, offering a range of options to shape the early stages of his three-year-old campaign.
“First off he’ll be one of a big team we’re planning to line up at the Te Rapa trials on August 5, then we’ll make a decision whether to run him against maidens or in stronger age-group company,” Bergerson said. “It’s good to have that option, but we’ll be mostly guided by track conditions.
“What he did at two was on raw ability and it was fantastic to think that he could finish second at Group One off such a light preparation. In the time off he’s grown into a lovely horse and he fits the profile of a 2000 Guineas horse, so we’ll be following pretty much a conventional path to Riccarton in November.”
Te Akau’s domestic string of rising three-year-olds is certainly not lacking in depth, with the likes of BORN TO BE ROYAL, TO BRAVERY BORN, QUEEN’S EVIDENCE and FURY OF FLIGHT amongst those in the Matamata team, and COOL AZA RENE, BELLE DU MONDE, BEST ROSE and DARE TO PROISIR candidates for early spring racing from Te Akau’s Riccarton satellite.
“The Riccarton stable managed by Hunter Durrant will play an important part in our spring plans again,” Bergerson said. “Fillies like Cool Aza Rene, Belle Du Monde and Best Rose will kick off down there and most likely take in early races like the Canterbury Belle Stakes before we decide whether they go all the way through to the 1000 Guineas.
“We shouldn’t be short of firepower up north either, so the Te Rapa trials in the first week of August – providing the ground isn’t too heavy – will be useful to work out our plans for them heading into the age-group races.”
Another rising three-year-old still in the wings for the meantime is AVANTAGGIA, the first foal of nine-time Te Akau Group One winner Avantage by Wootton Bassett. “She won a trial in late autumn and has really strengthened with her break, but she won’t be trialing until the back end of August and we’ll make plans from there.”
Te Akau’s proven brigade are also coming to hand, including New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner CAPTURED BY LOVE, older mares QUINTESSA and QALI AL FARRASHA, and the geldings WHAT YOU WISH FOR, WILD NIGHT and PERFECT SCENARIO.
“Captured By Love is back home after a disappointing Australian campaign, so she’ll trial at Te Rapa and with her rating she’ll be able to kick off in Rating 85. We’ll just work our way through with her and make bigger plans as we go.
“Wild Night’s last campaign began well but he didn’t fire in Melbourne and then things didn’t work out back here in the autumn. He’s got any amount of ability and he seems to be coming to hand well.
“What You Wish For had a good season competing in some strong races and winning at black-type level, so we’re looking forward to what he can do. Then there’s Perfect Scenario, who’s just a good, genuine racehorse, one that we all admire.
“He’s coming up eight years old and I expect he’ll be up for it again. He’ll head down south, and being such a fantastic apprentice horse, we should be able to place him well again.”
