Latest News

Golden Slipper bid under consideration for Return To Conquer

Kiwi-trained youngster could attempt to make history as connections weigh up possible trans-Tasman raid  

The boom time surrounding Kia Ora Stud could be on the cusp of a special chapter, with the exciting colt they partown with Te Akau Racing – Return To Conquer (Snitzel) – in the mix to attempt to create history by becoming the first New Zealand-trained horse to win the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).

Kia Ora’s stocks for the autumn’s juvenile highlights are already surging.

They are the breeders and part-owners of My Gladiola (I Am Invincible), the dominant $4 favourite for the first leg of Australia’s major juvenile double, the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), at Caulfield on February 22.

The stud also has interests in two Australian two-year-old black type winners from Saturday: their homebred Inkaruna (I Am Invincible), who won Sandown’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m); and Blitzburg (Snitzel), winner of the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m). 

Kia Ora also part-owns the horse Blitzburg beat into second at Rosehill in Hillier (Zoustar), while they also have high hopes for Space Rider (Zoustar), who carried the farm’s two-toned blue to victory on debut at Eagle Farm in December.

But it is a colt east of the Tasman who is perhaps causing the most excitement, amid a raft of strong results which has brought a timely lift to Kia Ora after the death in November of its 86-year-old owner Ananda Krishnan.

In a move that was pushed by Krishnan, Kia Ora has teamed with New Zealand powerhouse Te Akau since the start of last year, with the two entities now combining in the ownership of six horses.

The stand-out is Return To Conquer, for whom Te Akau boss David Ellis paid $1.3 million at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, with Kia Ora taking an interest under the ownership banner of Te Akau’s Stallion Breeding Syndicate.

Trained by Te Akau’s partnership of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Return To Conquer has shone on the track from day one, scoring by 2.5 lengths on debut over 1100 metres in Listed company at Pukekohe in November, and on Saturday the colt resumed with a half-length victory in Ellerslie’s Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m).

Return To Conquer is now set to tackle the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) on February 15 ahead of the prestigious Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on March 8 at Ellerslie.

All going well, he may push on to the $5 million Golden Slipper on March 22, where he would be after a slice of history.

No New Zealand-trained runner has won the world’s richest two-year-old race. In the modern era, precious few have tried.

The country’s traditional stayer-based thoroughbred profile – compared to Australia’s need for speed – is reflected in the fact no Kiwi-bred has won the Slipper since Courtza (Pompeii Court) in 1989, coincidentally following another NZ-bred Marauding (Sir Tristram) two years earlier.

Return To Conquer would still become yet another Australian-bred to win the Slipper if successful, having emerged from Victoria’s Blue Gum Farm. But to cross the Tasman and take the Rosehill feature would land another huge feather in the cap of the rampaging Te Akau, who have dominated the NZ juvenile scene in recent years, winning eight of the past nine editions of the Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m).

It would also reinforce a golden era for Kia Ora on and off the track, which includes the positive starts for its young trio of stallions Farnan (Not A Single Doubt), Captivant (Capitalist) and Prague (Redoute’s Choice) and 2023’s teaming with neighbours Vinery Stud.

Kia Ora’s racing manager Luke Wilkinson told ANZ Bloodstock News several bridges would have to be crossed for Return To Conquer to tackle the Golden Slipper, but the mission was now firmly in discussions around the colt.

“He’s got a few hoops to jump through first, but he’ll go to the Matamata Slipper, then the Sistema, and then if he’s going well enough there’s a chance he’ll come over to Sydney,” Wilkinson said of Return To Conquer, who is so far living up to what met the eye at the Magic Millions sale.

“He’s got plenty of ability. When I went to the New Zealand Ready To Run sale I went to watch him in trackwork. When I got out of the car, I got stopped by about five track riders saying he was the best two-year-old colt in New Zealand. He hadn’t even had his first start yet.

“There’s a lot of wraps on him from a few good judges in New Zealand.”

Bookmakers protectively tightened Return To Conquer into a $34 chance in Slipper betting following Saturday’s win.

Whatever success he achieves, Kia Ora looks well poised to reap dividends from its combination with Te Akau.

The tangerine army has gone from strength to strength in recent years including the establishment of its Cranbourne training base, first with Ben Gleeson in charge, and now with Walker calling the facility one of his two bases either side of the Tasman. The six Australian Group 1 wins, amid nine in total, of Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) also put Te Akau in the headlines.

“Mr Krishnan noticed what an excellent job they were doing with Imperatriz, and that they’d won the Karaka Millions many years in a row, and he suggested we team up and buy into their syndicates,” Wilkinson said.

“We mashed up on a few horses at the yearling sales where they were on our list as well as theirs.

“Te Akau has really dominated the two-year-old scene in New Zealand. I think they realised the best two-year-olds come out of Australia.

“The partnership is going really well so far. You can’t complain when you’re winning.

“We [Kia Ora] still have plenty of horses with the leading trainers in Australia, but Te Akau is a great organisation to team up with. We thought that them starting their Cranbourne stable was a plus as well. Ben Gleeson and I worked together at Danny O’Brien’s stable, and I’ve been out to Te Akau’s Cranbourne stable to take a look. It’s a remarkable facility – brand new, and a really good set up.”

Aside from Return To Conquer, Kia Ora linked with Te Akau last year in the purchase of Fury Of Flight (Zoustar), a $1.1 million Gold Coast buy who debuted with a third at Otaki in November.

They also combined on $240,000 Karaka filly Sattva (Savabeel), who’s won her only barrier trial to date, and in the Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) filly from dual Group 1 winner Pippie (Written Tycoon) who Ellis bought for $775,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Also part-owned by Tony Fung’s TFI, a regular partner of Kia Ora’s, the filly is in training with Walker and Bergerson.

This year, Kia Ora and Te Akau have teamed up on two keenly sought colts at the Gold Coast from Yarraman Park’s draft: a Snitzel colt who cost $600,000, and a $625,000 colt by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).

Kia Ora is a co-owner with TFI in a host of horses including two-year-olds Blitzburg, Space Rider and Hillier. They also share in two horses who helped kick off their current run of success last year, Group 2 winners Eneeza (Exceed And Excel) and Prost (Snitzel).

The two concerns have so far not bought a yearling together this year, but Wilkinson said this was “not to say there won’t be horses at Easter or Classic or Melbourne that we both love and decide to go in together”.

Similarly, Kia Ora’s 2023 merger with Vinery, in which Krishnan became that stud’s seventh major partner, along with others including Gerry Harvey and Neil Werrett, is set to lead to the purchase of a stallion in the near future.

“We get along very well with the Vinery team. It’s a good working relationship at the moment, and we’ll be doing a lot more with them in the future,” Wilkinson said.

“I don’t know specifics about when we’ll buy a stallion together, but it will happen shortly.”

Meanwhile, Kia Ora is bullish about its own three stallions, headed by Farnan, their $55,000 Golden Slipper winner.

The seven-year-old’s early runners, capped by $1m Golden Gift (1100m) winner North England, have him third on the first season sires’ table, and sixth on the juvenile standings. They also helped him cover 181 mares in his fourth spring – up from 152 in 2023 – while his Magic Millions Gold Coast Book 1 average was a robust $276,000, seventh overall for 20 or more lots sold.

The $22,000 six-year-old Captivant had five of his first yearlings average $132,000 from Book 1 at the sale, but will have stronger representation at Inglis Classic, with 15 lots.

And the $13,200 seven-year-old Prague will have 11 of his second crop yearlings at Classic, having had four lots average $152,000 in Book 1 at the Gold Coast.

Overall, the times are good for Kia Ora, with the promise of even better to come in the next few months.

“It’s a very exciting time for us,” Wilkinson said.

“It would’ve been fantastic to see Mr Krishnan’s response to the weekend, with three Group winners in about 2 hours, especially Inkaruna in his colours. He would’ve got great joy out of it.

“It’s sad he didn’t get to see it, but it’s a legacy that will live on. Hopefully we can get a Group 1 in his colours. That’d be a fantastic result.”

Privacy Preference Center

Advertising

Cookies that are primarily for advertising purposes

DSID, IDE

Analytics

These are used to track user interaction and detect potential problems. These help us improve our services by providing analytical data on how users use this site.

_ga, _gid, _hjid, _hjIncludedInSample,
1P_JAR, ANID, APISID, CONSENT, HSID, NID, S, SAPISID, SEARCH_SAMESITE, SID, SIDCC, SSID,