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 following the running of the Gr.2 SkyCity Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.

The juvenile feature was taken out by their exciting colt Kinnaird, who doubled his win tally after scoring on debut over 1100m at Otaki in November.

From their wide draw, jockey Opie Bosson took the Home Affairs colt back to settle off the pace in the running line, but soon found themselves on the rail as a gap opened through a weakening Uninvited.

While looking for a run out wide down the home straight, Bosson elected to keep to the rail where 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.”

Mark Walker, who trains Kinnaird in partnership with Sam Bergerson, 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, with Walker winning the race with Tokyo Tycoon (2023) and La Dorada (2025), the last in partnership with Bergerson, and he is looking forward to Kinnaird contesting the race later this month.

“We are on the right track. It was a nice win,” he said. “He will go straight in (to the Karaka Millions).”

Kinnaird was purchased out of Highview’s 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis for $340,000.

He has won both of his starts to date and amassed just shy of $130,000 in prizemoney.