Te Akau Monday Update

David writes:

It was so disappointing to see the Matamata races cancelled on Friday after just one race.  All of these cancellations and abandonments are costing the galloping code a true fortune - mainly because the growth in betting is on overseas' racing (Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore etc) and the profit distribution on this is spread to the codes based on New Zealand turnover.

Now let me give you an example - just say if the profit on overseas' racing was $30 million and the thoroughbred code did 56% of the New Zealand turnover with all races being run - however with the huge number of cancellations etc we have had, our code only did 53% - that shows you, through this exercise, what a ridiculous amount we are missing out on.

It simply doesn't seem fair for the galloping code to be disadvantaged like this and it is!  The harness or greyhound codes just don't have the same level of cancellations as they race on sand or all-weather tracks mostly, whereas the galloping code in New Zealand races solely on grass and thus suffers the vagaries of the weather etc more than any other code.  This our code is severely disadvantaged, especially with race meetings seeming to be cancelled every month.

To be fair, the one job I wouldn't want in racing is that of a track manager.  However if I was, at this time of the year I would prepare a track that at the start of the day had a penetrometer reading of 4.5, that dried out to 3.5 as the day progressed.  Now I know a couple of trainers who don't like that but with 10 Group 1 winners in the past 24 months, we have a pretty good idea of what works.

In an ideal world, all horses can handle a track somewhere between a three and a four.  The main reason I like a track with some give in it, is two-fold:

1. it doesn't jar the horses up and they can keep racing, and


2. if it does rain on the day, there is a lot better chance that the track won't get slippery, after all, the absolute priority, for everyone, is to get every race run safely.

It is my opinion that even the trials have often been staged on tracks that are too firm.  So this week we are doing something a little different - instead of going to the trials, we are going to give the horses a jump out on the course proper.  The Matamata Racing Club is putting plenty of water on the track and is holding jump outs on the course proper.  So we are taking this option with our two year olds so that they don't jar up on the rock hard tracks that some clubs are preparing for the trials.

Well done Matamata!

We had a fun weekend - Karyn and I went to Ellerslie to see our team race - what a race by Heroic Valour and also Melody belle, they are coming to hand very well indeed.  we then went out with our children for my birthday dinner which was really enjoyable.  Karyn gave me a painting of Gingernuts as a present which after everything he has been through, was a really special gift.

We have been busy selling shares in our Ready to Run horses in the last two weeks and we now only have shares available in one horse - and what a beauty he is as you can see below and at the bottom my update!

Our Delago Deluxe only has two shares now available in him!

Go on to our "Yearlings and Shares" section on our website and click on to Lot 25 and you will see one of the nicest 2YOs I have ever bought - after the sale, "Dapper" as he has been nicknamed, he went straight in to the main stable and the team reports he is impressing everyone and is just great to handle.

This 2YO has a great attitude and a lovely, strong action and there will be no hanging around, he should be ready to race towards the end of January.  A 'ready made' racehorse if I ever saw one.  If you want to be involved in him, please get in touch with Karyn very quickly ([email protected]) and remember what a great record we have with 'the last horse to sell'!!

Today I am overseeing the installation of a brand new water system that we are putting in and today we have 100 new troughs arriving - it's little wonder that the farmer who won Lotto, when asked by the media what he was going to spend his winnings on, said he was just going to continue farming until it was all gone!

In other good news from the stable, all of our horses from the NZ Cup Carnival have enjoyed their break at the farm and have now returned to training, with many aiming to race at Ellerslie over Christmas and New Year.

We have 23 horses ready to trial this week but whether we trial them at Te Aroha or take the option of giving them a jump out at Matamata will be decided today.

Have a great week.