Group Two Tauranga Stakes Triumph for Agera (NZ)

Agera (NZ) (Complacent) carried on his career-defining campaign at Tauranga on Saturday, bringing up his sixth win of the season in the $150,000 Group Two Gartshore Construction Tauranga Stakes (1530m).

Bought by Waikato Bloodstock for $70,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2021, Agera has now had 26 starts for eight wins, eight placings and $340,990 in stakes – almost five times his purchase price.

Agera has risen rapidly through the ranks has a six-year-old, having come into the season with only two wins to his name from an 18-start career. Since the beginning of August, he has won a Rating 70 and a Rating 78 at Cambridge, an open handicap at Te Rapa, the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m), the $80,000 Feilding Cup (2050m) and now the Tauranga Stakes.

Weight-for-age racing is a very different test to the handicaps that Agera had been winning on his way through the grades, suddenly pitting him against horses the calibre of multiple Group One winner Ladies Man (NZ) (Zed) at level weights and with nowhere to hide. But Agera showed that he was up to the task.

Ridden by apprentice jockey Sam McNab, Agera settled in third on the rail and then dived through a narrow gap along the inside in the straight. He burst to the lead with 150 metres remaining, then withstood a late challenge from Meaningful Star (Pivotal) to win by a short head.

“He’s won six from eight this season and has found a real purple patch of form,” trainer Tony Pike said. “To step up to weight-for-age today and win again is remarkable. He’s really had a fantastic season.

“We always thought a mile was probably his optimal distance. He won a Feilding Cup last time over the 2050 metres. Going down to 1530 metres from there was probably not ideal, but he got the job done. He’s a versatile horse in great form.”

Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25 to 29 January – an iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand.