Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

I must admit to being very emotional to see Karyn's career as a broadcaster close its final chapter on Sunday.

It's quite incredible the number of people who have either sent texts, emails or have written to her or left facebook messages.  I am very proud of the job she has done and especially the way she handled her last show.  I know she has been overwhelmed by the kindness that everyone has shown.

Thank you to her producer Harry and the whole team for celebrating her career with such care and respect - the final programme and everyone who kindly contributed to it will last in her memory always I know, in fact in the memory of all of her family!!

Tonight we have the five yearlings that we bought in Sydney arriving home to Te Akau Stud.  These are stand-out fillies.

To have another beautifully-bred Fastnet Rock filly as part of Te Akau is a big thrill especially after Saturday!!

The progeny of Fastnet Rock was on fire at Royal Randwick last Saturday - winning a Group 1, a Group 2 and a Group 3!!  This wonderful sire is a class act.  In fact I bought a full sister to the Group 1 Australian Oaks' winner Unforgotten four years ago for Cambridge breeder Carol Marshall and the filly I purchased for her went up in value be probably at least $100,000 with her full sister winning the prestigious Oaks at Randwick.

The progeny of Fastnet Rock run at two (just think Avantage and Heroic Valour), they train on at three and four - they are just really classy racehorses.

The filly I bought in Sydney (above and below) is a half-sister to the Champion Horse of the Year Jimmy Choux who was also Champion 3YO and Champion Middle Distance Horse of the Year who won Group 1 races on both sides of the Tasman and was also runner up in the Group 1 WS Cox Plate.  Our filly is also a half-sister therefore to Miss Wilson who a week and a half ago won the Group 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes.  This is a family on the upwards move for sure.

Our new Fastnet Rock filly is certainly up there as one of the best types that I have ever bought and she will be nominated for the Golden Slipper - she is a very mature filly and we will start breaking her in tomorrow.

Our major focus at Te Akau Stud at the moment is firmly focussed on breaking our young horses in.  It is just so exciting to see the sales' topping colt (Savabeel/Katie Lee) and fillies like our Not A Single Doubt half-sister to Melody Belle working around the farm - today we will be riding 15.  We have "borrowed" Dan Miller from our Matamata stable to help at Te Akau Stud for two to three weeks. Dan is simply a genius with young horses.

If you want to be involved in a really top, beautifully-bred filly from Sydney give me a call and you will be made to feel really welcome. I have spoken about the Fastnet Rock filly but we have bought across all price ranges and each of our five fillies has a pedigree and family that gives them exciting future residual value prospects.

Have a great week!