Te Akau Racing’s powerful team of New Zealand two-year-olds brought up their 20th win of the season when Cool Aza Rene edged out El Vaquero in Saturday’s Bain McCall Memorial (1000m) at Riccarton.
The $35,000 race was the fourth win from only a five-start career for Cool Aza Rene, who is now one of a trio of Te Akau two-year-olds to have won four races during 2024-25. Return To Conquer’s unbeaten four-win haul culminated in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, while the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) heroine La Dorada also won on four occasions.
Cool Aza Rene has yet to emulate those stablemates with a black-type impact, having finished fifth in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) in December in her only appearance at that level. But her smart victories in both starts this month hinted that there could be bigger and better things in store as a three-year-old.
Trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson kicked off Cool Aza Rene’s latest campaign over 820m at Wingatui on June 1, where she got the better of El Vaquero in the final few strides to win by a head. Riccarton was the scene of a rematch between those same two horses on Saturday, and Cool Aza Rene came out on top for the second time.
The pair dominated the race from the moment the gates opened, striding forward to sit side by side in the lead.
They both quickened smartly in the straight and left the rest of the seven-horse field in their wake, moving more than three lengths clear to fight out another two-horse battle to the line. Again El Vaquero fought for all he was worth, but again Cool Aza Rene found that little bit more to pip him by a half-neck. She was ridden to victory by Te Akau apprentice Hayley Hassman.
“It was a really good win today, especially on quite testing ground, and a positive ride by Hayley,” Walker said.
“She’s put together a really good record, winning four of her five starts, and she deserves a short break now.
“We’ll have her back in work with a view to contesting a lead-up race over 1000m in late August before the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) in September.
“Hunter (Durrant) and the team at Riccarton have presented the filly in great order, continuing on the work from the Matamata stable. She was prepped up north in the early stages of the season, and she’s done well following a freshen-up to win both starts in the South Island.”
Bought by David Ellis for A$55,000 from Book 2 of the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Cool Aza Rene has earned $105,000 from her five-start, four-win career to date.
Cool Aza Rene comes from the first crop of Cool Aza Beel, who himself carried the Te Akau colours to four wins from six starts including the Sistema Stakes and Karaka Millions 2YO. He was New Zealand’s champion two-year-old in 2019-20.
Now standing at Newhaven Park in New South Wales, Cool Aza Beel has sired five winners headed by the Gr.1 JJ Atkins (1600m), Gr.2 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1400m) and Listed Dalrello Stakes (1000m) winner Cool Archie. That exciting colt strung together five consecutive wins during the Queensland Winter Carnival.
“It’s satisfying to see Cool Aza Rene racing so well, and for Cool Aza Beel to have just had his first Group One winner,” Ellis said.
“I bought Cool Aza Beel as a yearling for $150,000 at Karaka, from Fairdale Stud, having been to inspect the yearlings at their farm. They had three in the sale and I finished up buying all three. Clearly Cool Aza Beel was the best of them, but another was Brando, who won two Group Two races and a Listed race among his nine wins, and they all won races.
“We were thrilled that a great breeder like John Kelly at Newhaven Park Stud bought Cool Aza Beel to stand at stud, and they had a very good opinion of his progeny right from the time they were foals.
“We’ve got some other promising horses in the stable by Cool Aza Beel, that are still to race, and we’ve bred to him each year.”
Adding to the Te Akau flavour of Cool Aza Rene’s pedigree, her dam Irene is a daughter of the multiple Group One-winning former Te Akau star Xtravagant. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
