Toa Haka post race
- A cold easterly prevailed on a day with super fields.
- The TAB Southern Alps Challenge could not have drawn a better field. The 18 runners comprised a Group 2 winner, four Group 3 winners and six Listed winners. TOA HAKA was not one of those and had only made the field by virtue of lifting his rating by winning at Ashburton on Thursday 2 April. That made no difference when under a front running ride from apprentice Amber Riddell the six-year-old held off the fast-finishing pair of SIR ALBERT and BETTY SPAGETTI by a long head. Former Champion jockey and Group 1 winning trainer David Walsh prepares the gelding from his Riccarton Park base for stepson Brendan Hewlett whose mother Julie Walsh is the Club’s Accounts Administrator.
- Twelve months earlier Awapuni filly BONA SFORZA had travelled south to win the Welcome Stakes on debut. Four starts since had yielded a second in the NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes and a fourth in the Barneswood Farm NZ 1000 Guineas. The return to Riccarton Park on Saturday and reunited with Ace Lawson-Carroll, who had only recently returned from serious injury, resulted in win number two in the NZB Insurance Stakes. The filly races in the Canberra Raider Rugby league colours for trainer samantha Finnegan.
- The 2026 renewal of the Property Brokers sponsored Welcome Stakes was, as so often the case in Juvenile events, a Te Akau Racing benefit. ENCHANTMENT under Michael McNab beat NEVER TOO MUCH with stable rider Opie Bosson aboard.
- The win was one of three for Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson with the other being INSATIABLE in the Angus Meats Open Sprint and COGNOSCENTI in the last on the programme.
- DAKOTA hinted at a most promising career with a barnstorming finish from the rear to win the opening race the 1200 metres maiden. Owner trained by Dean McGregor the SUPER SETH filly is part owner by Dean’s son Matthew and father retired successful trainer Alby.