Horse racing: La Dorada claims local victory in Matamata feature

La Dorada, ridden by Michael McNab, wins the Group 2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. Photo / Kenton Wright

Local filly La Dorada backed up from her stunning victory in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) last month with another gritty performance to take out her home track feature, the Group 2 J Swap Contractors Ltd Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared daughter of Waikato Stud resident stallion Super Seth was expected to put in a strong showing and once she found the fence and the lead after 200m she was always going to be hard to beat.

Rated perfectly by rider Michael McNab, who had taken out the other 2-year-old feature on the card aboard stablemate Return To Conquer in the Group 3 Fairview Matamata Slipper (1200m), La Dorada cruised along nicely with her main danger To Cap It All on her outer.

This pair settled down to a fierce home straight battle with La Dorada pulling out something extra in the shadows of the post to win by half a length with another Te Akau Racing runner, Born To Be Royal, taking third ahead of stablemate Marokopa Falls.

Bergerson was quick to praise the filly and the ride by McNab after the race.

“What she lacks in size she makes up in toughness as she is just the ultimate racehorse,” Bergerson said.

“She has gone to the next level since her Karaka Million win as we gave her a quiet week after that and she came back and hasn’t missed a beat.

“She paraded fantastic and she has the little bit of grit and sassiness that gives her the edge and when the other one went up to her, she was really game.

“He [McNab] got away with a cheap sectional down the back and that was the winning of the race.

“We had it mapped that we were going to be outside the leader but he used his initiative and took up the running and the filly was very game late.”

Bergerson indicated La Dorada was now likely to take on Return to Conquer in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on March 8 where she is the second favourite at $3.20 in the TAB Fixed Odds market behind her stablemate, who is at the head of affairs at a $2.20 quote.

McNab was thrilled with how tough his mount was at the finish.

“She [La Dorada] is as tough as anything and she was never going to let the other horse get past her,” he said.

“The second horse is a really good one and we probably fit inside her height-wise, but mine is just all heart and a real little sweetheart.”

Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis purchased La Dorada for $190,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft during the Book 1 sale at Karaka in 2024 after purchasing her dam, Gold Fever, as a yearling for $110,000 from the draft of Sledmere Stud at the 2016 Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

She adds to her extended family legacy in the Breeders’ Stakes as her dam took out the event in 2017 while another member of her family, Gold Rush, won it in 2016.

The victory took La Dorada’s career earnings past the $744,000 mark for her owners, the Te Akau Solid Gold Racing Partnership.

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk