New Zealand
135wins
19 stakes wins · 3 Group Ones
NZ$8.28 million for owners. A seventh consecutive premiership, won by 33 wins. Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s third together.
Exceptional horses.
One tangerine team.
Our racing record
Success across generations.
Exceptional horses. Dedicated people. A record built together.
17Trainers’ PremiershipsNew Zealand & Singapore
7Consecutive NZ premiershipsThrough 2025/26
100+Group One victoriesAcross Te Akau’s history
400+Stakes winsIncluding Group Ones
Premierships & sustained success
- 17 Trainers’ Premierships: 13 in New Zealand and four in Singapore.
- Seven consecutive New Zealand Trainers’ Premierships through 2025/26, with Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson winning the premiership in each of their first three seasons together.
- More than 100 Group One victories and over 400 stakes wins across Te Akau’s history.
- 85 titles at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards through September 2026, including 25 equine awards and 24 awards for people over the preceding nine years.
- Three consecutive Trainer of the Year awards for Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, including the 2025/26 title.
Classic winners & Karaka Million milestones
- 14 Group One New Zealand Guineas winners: seven in the 2000 Guineas and seven in the 1000 Guineas.
- Eight Karaka Million 2YO winners, including seven consecutive victories from 2017 to 2023.
- The only stable to complete the Karaka Million 2YO and 3YO double in the same year, achieved in 2020, 2022 and 2025.
- Eight New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year winners.
- 13 New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old titles, most recently with unbeaten Lara Antipova in 2025/26.
- Damask Rose, selected, syndicated and trained by Te Akau, won the inaugural NZB Kiwi in 2025.
Record seasons & career milestones
- 203 New Zealand wins and NZ$8.25 million in prize money in Mark Walker’s record-setting 2022/23 season.
- 169 New Zealand wins and NZ$8 million in prize money in Walker and Bergerson’s first season together, 2023/24.
- NZ$9.27 million in domestic prize money in the record-setting 2024/25 season, alongside 131 wins and 18 stakes victories.
- More than 2,000 career winners for Mark Walker: the milestone was reached in November 2024, all under the Te Akau banner.
- Australia, 2023/24: 24 wins, nine stakes victories and five Group Ones, with NZ$7.6 million in prize money. The metropolitan record was 15 wins from 62 starts, a winning strike rate of 4.1 starts per win.
Landmark totals & bloodstock selection
Te Akau’s June 2026 milestones capture the depth of a record built over generations:
- 429 stakes victories, including 106 Group One wins, and 2,938 New Zealand winners had been recorded by 1 June 2026.
- 12 New Zealand and four Singapore Champion Trainer of the Year titles were recorded by June 2026, before Walker and Bergerson’s further New Zealand award in September.
- 42 individual Group One winners of 90 Group One races bought or bred by Sir David Ellis, as recorded in Te Akau’s June 2026 bloodstock summary.
- 34 Australian stakes victories, including 15 Group Ones, from 2017 to the July 2026 season review.
Sir David’s June 2026 milestone story · Australian Group One milestone
Premiership and award records through 2025/26. Meet the horses on our Roll of Honour →
More than four decades of racing
Horse first.
Team always.
From a young horse’s first lessons at Te Akau Stud to race day in New Zealand or Australia, every stage starts with the horse.
Led by Sir David Ellis KNZM and Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM, we bring together selection, education, training and owner communication. Behind every preparation is a team that cares. Alongside every horse are owners who share the journey.
The foundations of Te Akau’s success are found at Te Akau Stud, where Sir David’s longstanding investment in the land and commitment to pasture quality provide an exceptional environment for thoroughbreds.
Large paddocks give horses the freedom to move, develop naturally and enjoy valuable time away from the training stable. The property supports foals, weanlings and broodmares, alongside yearling education, pre-training, training and spelling, with each stage carefully managed by our experienced team.
Operating alongside a successful sheep and cattle business, Te Akau Stud brings together expert land management and horsemanship to support the wellbeing and development of every horse in our care with a record of sustained success.
Joining Te Akau means becoming part of a stable with a proven record across generations of horses, trainers and owners.
Meet our teamPremiership-winning season · 2025/26
One season. Shared success.
Riccarton
46wins
6 stakes wins · South Island champions
A third consecutive South Island Trainer of the Year title. These wins are included in Te Akau’s New Zealand total.
Australia
30wins
3 stakes wins · 2 Group Ones
Belle Cheval in the Vinery Stud Stakes. Geegees Mistruth in the Robert Sangster Stakes. Another chapter of success across the Tasman.
Season ended 31 July 2026. Explore the season highlights →
Our places
One team. Across the Tasman.
ONE STUD. THREE RACING BASES. THE SAME CARE AND AMBITION, WHEREVER OUR HORSES CALL HOME.
Te Akau Racing’s story is one of vision, exceptional horses and the people who bring out their best. For more than four decades, our commitment to horsemanship, careful development and success for our owners has established Te Akau among Australasia’s leading racing operations.
▶ Explore Te Akau StudWaikato · New Zealand
Te Akau Stud
Where the winning begins.
More than 4,000 acres in the Waikato. Over 1,000 dedicated to horses. Space to grow, learn and thrive.
Inside the operation
From foals, weanlings and broodmares to yearling education, pre-training, training and spelling, our experienced team cares for each stage. Sir David’s investment in pasture and large paddocks supports natural development, alongside a successful sheep and cattle operation.
▶ Inside MatamataNorth Island · New Zealand
Matamata
The heart of our New Zealand team.
Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson lead our Matamata headquarters, supported by Assistant Trainer Reece Trumper, Tom Murphy and the wider team.
Inside the operation
Four barns and an adjacent 12-acre day-paddock property sit within a centre serving approximately 600 horses. Treadmills, walkers and access to a specialist water treadmill help tailor every preparation, supported by our riders, stable staff, vets, farriers and administrators.
Meet the team →South Island · New Zealand
Riccarton
At home in the South Island.
A settled base at Riccarton Park, led day to day by Assistant Trainer Hunter Durrant. Racing opportunities throughout the year.
Inside the operation
The team contributed 46 wins and six stakes victories in 2025/26, helping secure a third consecutive South Island Trainer of the Year title. Our Christchurch base supports campaigns including the spring classics and New Zealand Cup Week.
▶ The Cranbourne chapterVictoria · Australia
Cranbourne
Our Australian chapter.
A purpose-built, 70-box stable led by Mark Walker and Assistant Trainer Ben Gleeson. Victorian racing on our doorstep.
Inside the operation
Opened in September 2023, Cranbourne offers training tracks, sand hills, an equine pool, walkers and treadmills. Our first runner, Imperatriz, became a ten-time Group One winner, Australian Champion Sprinter and 2024 New Zealand Horse of the Year.
Meet the tangerine team
The people make the difference.
From bloodstock selection to the final stride, every horse’s journey is a shared effort. Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson lead in New Zealand; Mark and Ben Gleeson in Australia. Across every base, our people bring care, experience and continuity.
Meet our peopleYour place in the team
Your colours. Your story.
Follow the preparation. Meet the team. Share the anticipation. From available shares to privately owned horses in training, find your place in Team Te Akau.
Learn about racing & ownershipTalk to the teamFour decades. One passion.
The Group One story.
From Cosmetique in 1986 to Return To Conquer and the 100 Group One milestone in 2025.
Watch on YouTube ↗
Be part of
Team Te Akau
Looking for your first racehorse, or your next? Explore the horses with shares available and talk to us about finding the right fit.
We would love to welcome you to the tangerine team.
View available shares