Te Akau Chases Its Eighth 1000 Guineas

Two talented fillies are in Christchurch with their sights firmly on delivering the stable its eighth win in the $600,000 Group 1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) on Saturday 7 November.

It’s a big weekend for Team Te Akau, with Group 1 runners at Riccarton as New Zealand Cup Week opens and runners at Flemington as TAB Champions' Stakes Day closes the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Leading the charge at Riccarton, just three starts into her career, Asturia takes her place as red-hot favourite for the time-honoured fillies' classic.

Before the Almanzor filly travelled south, we caught up with the filly who we know as 'Grier' and assistant trainer Reece Trumper at Matamata after her final gallop for the Guineas.

With Michael McNab aboard, Asturia worked over 1200 metres in company with stablemate Typhoon Lucy. She settled behind her workmate before closing the gap quickly and stretching out well. 

Reece said the gallop topped her off nicely for Saturday, with Asturia due to fly out early Wednesday morning to join assistant trainer Hunter Durrant and our Riccarton team.

Prepared by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Asturia won on debut at Ellerslie on 5 September before taking on the boys in the Group 2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas, where she finished strongly for unlucky second behind Old Fashioned.

Back at Ellerslie for the Group 2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m), McNab brought her into the clear in the straight and she accelerated past Liguria to win by a length. That first stakes' victory took her to the top of the NZB Filly of the Year Series on eight points, with another 12 available to Saturday’s winner.

“She’ll be fine stepping to 1600 metres and she’s a very good filly,” McNab said after the Soliloquy. Walker also believes the step up to a mile and the Riccarton track will suit her.

Sir David Ellis purchased Asturia for $135,000 from the Landsdowne Park draft at the 2025 Karaka Book 1 Sale. Bred by Monovale Holdings, the daughter of Almanzor and Zabeel mare Kay’s Legacy has earned $176,125 for the Te Akau Legacy Of Love Racing Partnership.

Her owners recently turned down a substantial offer for the filly, choosing to keep racing her.

“What she has done so far is very exciting and when we presented the offer to the owners, it was a very clear 'no',” Bergerson said.

Insouciant began Te Akau’s 1000 Guineas' story in 2007. King’s Rose followed in 2010, Costa Viva in 2013 and Risque in 2015. Kahma Lass added her name in 2020, The Perfect Pink in 2021, and Captured By Love delivered win number seven in 2024.

Visiting Australian jockey Josh Parr guided Captured By Love past Alabama Lass to win by a length and a quarter for Walker and Bergerson. On Saturday, Asturia’s owners get their first chance to see their filly compete at Group 1 level on that same stage.

Sweetest Thing joins Asturia in the Guineas, having already delivered her owners Glentree Racing with a valuable stakes' win at Riccarton in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes in September. There’s plenty to look forward to earlier on the premier card, too. 

Charmrose and Trobriand line up in the Listed Pegasus Stakes, Dream Of The Moon takes her place in the Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes, and Court Of Appeal steps out in the Listed Metropolitan Trophy.

Across the Tasman, Geegees Mistruth flies the flag for Te Akau Australia in the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint at Flemington, while Stage ’N’ Screen and Royal Rendezvous also line up on Champions' Stakes Day. King’s English heads our Te Rapa team in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint, with runners at Cranbourne on Friday night and Tauherenikau on Sunday rounding out the weekend.

Best of luck to all our owners and teams on both sides of the Tasman!