Te Akau Thursday Update

David writes:

It has been another busy week for the team both in New Zealand and Singapore as the Spring racing season gets underway in earnest here in New Zealand.  Today we took a number of gallopers including (pictured from front main photo) Chance to Dance (Pinn), Tiffany's Time (Newman), Hushed (Lammas) and Wide Awake (Bosson).

Tomorrow before the Taupo races, we will have Gingernuts and Imperium trialling in events that may well may attract more attention in some ways than the races themselves - such is the quality line-up of horses taking the opportunity to trial.

In Singapore, Mark Walker has busy Friday and Sunday race days, as he looks to increase his 22-win lead on the Trainers' Premiership.  Mark, supported by our Singapore team including Gus and Karen and Robbie, is on fire!

In other news - Hall of Fame, our Group 1 winning Savabeel colt out of Around the Clock has been sold for a substantial seven figure price.

The deal was negotiated between me as the manager of Hall of Fame and Greg Zarra of Australian Bloodstock agency and Brian Hedley Bloodstock.  I must say how impressed I was with Greg Zarra and Brian Hedley, they are two of the best agents I have ever dealt with.

Hall of Fame was bought for $230,000 by me at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run sale. He was one of only two horses that I bought at that sale, the other being Gingernuts who was bought for $42,500.

Interestingly they both clashed at Counties and quinellaed the race with Hall of Fame beating Gingernuts. Gingernuts went onto win his next start at Hawkes Bay and we all know what both have done since - three Group 1 titles between them.

It was quite incredible to buy only two horses from a sale and to see them both do so well and win at Group One level.

Hall of Fame will be remembered for his great win in the Levin Classic with a terrific Opie Bosson ride. He beat 2 very good horses that day. Another exciting win he recorded was his five length victory in the Listed Zacinto Canterbury stakes at Riccarton. That was the fifth time we have won that race.

Hall of Fame will do his future racing in Hong Kong.