Home Affairs posted his first stakes-winner on New Year’s Day and for good measure made it a quinella with his two strapping bay youngsters Kinnaird and Harvey Wallbanger fighting out the finish of the Group II Skycity Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in New Zealand.
Te Akau Racing have made the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) their own in the last few years, and they look to have another strong contender for this year’s edition in Kinnaird.
The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson trained colt made it two wins in as many starts after scoring on debut over 1100m at Otaki in November.
From their wide draw, jockey Opie Bosson took Kinnaird back to settle off the pace on the fence.
Bosson then elected to chart an inside passage and Kinnaird showed a good turn of foot to run down Harvey Wallbanger and score by just over a length.
“I wanted to come out, but he was a bit horse shy of the horse outside of me, so he gave me no choice but to come back in,” Bosson said.
“Once he balanced up, he has got a good finish on him. As soon as I asked the question he really knuckled down and wanted to win, which is what you need in a colt going into a Karaka Million.”
Bosson knows what it takes to win a Karaka Millions 2YO, having ridden five Te Akau-trained juveniles to win the rich feature, and he believes Kinnaird has the ability to make it six.
“He has got a lot of upside about him,” Bosson said. “He is still learning and we have still got the option of putting the blinkers on too.”
Co-trainer Mark Walker was full of praise for Bosson’s ride, believing it proved the difference on the green colt.
“It was an Opie of old ride, that was a brilliant ride,” Walker said. “He is still new, he is still green, he did a lot wrong, but the experience and the class of Opie got him through.”
Te Akau have won eight of the last nine editions of the Karaka Millions 2YO and are hoping Kinnaird will add to their record.
“We are on the right track. It was a nice win,” he said. “He will go straight in (to the Karaka Millions).”
A $340,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase from Highview for David Ellis, Kinnaird is a half-brother to Group I winner Jon Snow and stakes-winner Princess Rhaenys being the fifth winner from eight foals to race from Orinda, a winning grand-daughter of Champion NZ 3YO Filly Solveig.
Kinnaird is the first stakes-winner among three winners so far for Home Affairs, who is also the sire of stakes-placed I’m Ya Huckleberry and Internal Affairs.
Home Affairs has 46 entries for Magic Millions 2026, 22 for Inglis Classic and 10 for Karaka Book 1.
