Te Akau Racing unearthed another exciting Karaka Million contender at Te Rapa on Saturday when the Dundeel youngster Yourdeel made a sparkling debut.

The Jamie Richards-trained gelding became the 20th individual winner from Dundeel’s first two racing crops when he won by more than five lengths.

Yourdeel who is the first runner from Dundeel’s second crop and is the ninth individual winner in the past month by the Arrowfield Stud-based sire.

He is the third foal of the three-time Australian winner Miss Zapper (Red Ransom) from the family of the G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Drum (Marauding) and the G1 Australian Oaks winner Anamato (Redoute’s Choice).

Yourdeel was offered by Little Avondale Stud at the 2018 Karaka Book 1 Sale where he was purchased for $100,000 by Chris Rutten and partners John Norwood and Rod Preston. Rutten and Norwood won the 2014 Karaka Million with Vespa and also race Karaka Million 3YO Classic winner Scott Base (Dalghar).

Saturday’s prizemoney of $NZ18,750 will be enough to put Yourdeel safely in the Karaka Millions field with his recent winning Te Akau stablemates Probabeel (Savabeel) and Aotea Lad (Savabeel) also qualified.

Dundeel (High Chaparral) was the Champion 3YO and Horse of the Year in New Zealand and Champion Middle Distance Male in Australia.

The six-time Group 1 winner has 14 yearlings catalogued for the 2019 Magic Millions Sale while Highfield Grange Thoroughbreds will offer a half-brother to Yourdeel by Proisir at the NZB National Yearling Sale at Karaka in February.

Te Akau runners dominated the 2017 edition of the Karaka Million with the Matamata operation providing the quinella with Avantage and Al Hasa from their five-pronged attack.

Dundeel enjoyed a notable weekend after his promising 3YO Cutadeel won a Listed race at Ellerslie on Sunday.

Cutadeel, a lightly raced gelding from the first crop of Dundeel, overcame a wide run to win the Barfoot and Thompson 3YO Salver (2100m) at Ellerslie.

Cutadeel was the third weekend stakes winner for his trainers Andrew Forsman and Murray Baker, the latter having prepared Dundeel to win 10 races including six G1 events during his career.

Baker has NZ Derby hopes for Cutadeel and said training stakes winners by Dundeel gave him immense satisfaction.

“He’s a promising staying horse. He’s not overly big but he’s a neat horse and a good mover.

“This race was won by Mongolian Khan and he went on and won the Derby. He has some Ellerslie experience now and he can certainly stay.

“It’s a thrill to train a stakes winner by Dundeel,” Baker told ANZ Blodstock News.

Cutadeel (Dundeel x Dineeta by Dylan Thomas) has now won three of his five starts and joins G3 winner Irukandji as first crop stakes winners for Dundeel.

On Saturday the Dundeel 2YO Yourdeel stepped up as a Karaka Million contender when he won at Te Rapa.

Dundeel has 14 entries for the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and seven catalogued in Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale next month.

Cuatdeel was bred by Waimarama NZ Limited, a syndicate that includes many of the owners who raced Dundeel.

He is the only named foal out of Dineeta, a half-sister to Listed winner Cathay Lady (Exceed And Excel) and the stakes-placed Extensible (Exceed And Excel).

Dineeta, who was bought by Victoria’s Tara Farm for $20,000 at the 2016 Australian Broodmare Sale when again in foal to Dundeel, has an unraced two-year-old brother to Cutadeel and a yearling colt by Reset.

Karaka graduate Belle du Nord claimed a valuable Group 2 win in Saturday’s Cal Isuzu Stakes at Te Rapa to sit alongside her multiple big race placings.

A $50,000 yearling purchase at Karaka in 2016, Belle Du Nord (Reliable Man x Bankside Belle by Volksraad) won on debut as a 2YO and has subsequently placed in the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes, G1 Levin Classic and G3 Auraria Stakes in Adelaide.

On Saturday Belle du Nord’s potent finishing burst carried her to a half-length victory over the defending champion Lizzie L’Amour (Zabeel).

Raced by the Northern Club Racing Syndicate managed by Sir David Williams, Belle du Nord has now earned $194,224 in prizemoney.

Emma-Lee Browne trains the Nearco Stud bred mare in partnership with her husband David.

Belle du Nord’s dam Bankside Belle has had two foals to race and both are black-type performers. Her first foal to race was fellow Karaka graduate What Choux Want (Jimmy Choux) who won twice and was placed in the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and Listed Welcome Stakes.

Curraghmore will offer a Jimmy Choux half-brother to Belle du Nord at Karaka 2019.

Belle Du Nord is the fifth stakes winner by Westbury Stud’s Reliable Man and first G2 winner for the son of Dalakhani.