He was a brilliant excitement machine with a cult following that sadly had his career and life cut short

In an injury-plagued career, Te Akau Shark, whose owners included Rugby League legend Paul Gallen, won seven of his 14 starts, and placed in five others, accruing more than A$1.5 million in prizemoney. Australian businessman Steve Mace and David Ellis met in a pool in Hawaii. Ellis had no idea who he was but when the conversation turned to racing, Mace showed plenty of interest in the "expert" and stated he was on the lookout for a horse to race with some mates. Steve Mace invested 35% in the horse and turned out to be a sponsor and big supporter of the NRL Cronulla Sharks rugby league club, hence the name. Waikato breeder Darrell Hollinshead is the first to admit that his family have been spoilt with good horses over the years, but even he believes Te Akau Shark (NZ) was pretty special. Over the years his family had some good horses starting with his father having Judena, then Bak da Chief, and more recently Pondarosa Miss and Ecuador.

Te Akau Shark was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis out of Lyndhurst Farm’s 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft for $230,000. The star galloper was meant to enjoy his retirement at Te Akau Stud alongside another famous Group One-winning chestnut, Gingernuts after they were trained by the esteemed Te Akau handlers, Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards. The gifted chestnut, bred from a notable sire, Rip Van Winkle from Bak Da Chief, (Chief Bearhart) had shared ownership in New Zealand and Australia, and gained a cult following early in his career, winning Group one races on both sides of the Tasman.

Te Akau Shark looked every bit a potential Group one contender, both at home and in Australia, and after winning the Gr.2 Coupland's Bakeries Mile (1600m) by six lengths, an Australian campaign was mapped out. Arriving on the Australian racing scene in 2019 ‘The Shark’ was unlucky not to win the Epsom Handicap in the Autumn before his quality came to the fore in 2020. The second placing to Kolding in the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick was an amazing effort, and a terrific third to Lys Gracieux and Castelvecchio in the $5 million Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley during his 2019 spring campaign reinforced his raw talent and stunning turn-of-foot. Unfortunately the Shark tailed off last from the widest draw at the 600m, but Opie Bosson scrubbed him up and made a concerted effort with a strong rails run.

In a brief but brilliant career on the track, the son of Rip Van Winkle won seven of his 14 starts.The only time he was not placed in the first three, was when he finished fourth in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas behind stablemates Embellish and Age of Fire who ran the quinella - and that was at just his third start in 2017. He was in a league of his own and took his earnings over one-million dollars when producing a stunning performance to win the Waikato Sprint at Te Rapa, and ramped it up a notch to win his next start in the Gr.1 Chipping Norton Stakes, posting unbelievable sectionals to claim the 1600m feature at Randwick - a race in which fellow ex-pat and legendary mare, Verry Eleegant finished runner-up. Winx had previously won the race four years in a row. It was an incredible display of power, with the Shark storming down the our outside at brutal pace and carving up the turf to overtake one of the best horses in the world right near the line. His Group one wins showed off his natural talent and ability, and he should have achieved even higher honour's.

Te Akau Racing confirmed the gelding's death in 2020 was linked to a degenerative eye condition that forced his retirement from racing in 2019 as a five-year-old. Te Akau Shark was humanely euthanised after becoming totally blind in both eyes.The shock news came only two months after the gelding was retired from racing having failed to recover from a serious eye infection he picked up in the Sydney autumn.

RACE RECORD - 12: 7-3-1

EARNINGS - $1,400,000

G1 BCD Sprint WFA 1400m

G1 Chipping Norton Stakes 1600m

G2 Coupland's Bakeries' Mile 1600m

G3 Red Badge Open Handicap Sprint 1400m