Season of Success: Love Conquers All

Returning to her brilliant best, dual Group winner and Group One heroine Captured By Love (4 m Written Tycoon – Moldova, by Snitzel) produced a performance full of class when she impressively won the $120,000 Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders' Stakes (1400m) on the opening day of Cup Week, 8 November, at Riccarton.

Already one of Te Akau's outstanding fillies, Captured By Love had enjoyed a stellar career from the outset. A finalist for Champion Two-Year-Old after victories in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), Group 3 Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) and Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m), she again earned finalist honours as a three-year-old following her memorable victory in the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

Tasked with the outside barrier (14), Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz rode positively from the outset, with Captured By Love forced to race three-wide without cover throughout. It proved no obstacle to a mare of her quality. When asked for her effort approaching the 300 metres, she quickly asserted her class, stretching clear for a dominant two-length victory.

It was a performance worthy of a mare of her calibre. On footing upgraded to Good3, Captured By Love stopped the clock in a brilliant 1:21.5 for the 1400 metres, recording the third-fastest time in the history of the race, while her final 600 metres of 33.0 seconds underlined the quality of the win. She returned NZ TAB dividends of $3.10 and $1.70.

Owned by the Te Akau 2023 Magic Fillies' Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Lady Karyn Ellis MNZM), Captured By Love was purchased by Sir David Ellis KNZM from the Milburn Creek draft at the 2023 Magic Millions' Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

"It was a huge performance by Captured By Love to win from the outside gate, especially when you're three-wide all the way – it was a hell of an effort," Ellis said.

"She's run a very fast time as well and really stretched out for a dominant win.

"She looked fantastic, has developed into a beautiful mare, and I'm thrilled for the owners. Most of them have shares in quite a few horses with us and it's great to have this high-class mare back winning stakes' races."

A Group One winner who competed in Group and Listed company in all but four of her 19 starts, Captured By Love further enhanced her outstanding record before recently selling for A$1.5 million at the Magic Millions' National Broodmare Sale. She retired with seven victories, more than $820,000 in prize money and a race record that reflected her remarkable consistency at the highest level.

By Australian Champion Sire, nine-time Victorian Champion Sire and outstanding sire of sires Written Tycoon (Iglesia), Captured By Love is out of the Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) mare Moldova. Snitzel, a four-time Australian Champion Sire, is now making an equally significant impact as a broodmare sire of Group One winners.

Captured By Love is the first foal of Moldova, a dual winner over 1100 metres in Australia, while the family has crossed particularly well with nine-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), producing multiple stakes winners Savvy Nature and Addictive Nature, together with Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Hasahalo.

Te Akau's previous winners in the Group 3 Canterbury Breeders' Stakes (1400m):

2023 – Fashion Shoot (Savabeel)