It's a New Season & Happy Birthday Horses

Yes 1 August marks the beginning of a brand new racing season in New Zealand.  As well as the celebration of every one of our horses officially getting a year older.  Our weanlings become yearlings, our yearlings are now 2YOs whilst those juveniles enter their 3YO season.

We simply love this time of the year - it is still tough climate-wise but what keeps our team buoyed and enthusiastic is the calibre of the horses they have on their hands - both in the stable and spelling.  We seriously can't wait for this new season - there is so much to look forward to as we build on the stunning success of the 2015/16 season that officially concluded yesterday.

That season was, simply put, a ripper - thanks to our skilled team and our unbelievable owners - and our heroes, our horses!  Here are some highlights:

• Te Akau NZ trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards win their first New Zealand Trainers' Premiership in their first season of training together.


• Te Akau NZ's premiership success follows Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker winning the 2015 Singapore Trainers' Premiership and in January 2016, being named Champion Trainer of Singapore. This is Mark's sixth Premiership title.


• Te Akau thus becomes the only stable, possibly globally, to win Trainers' Premierships in the same year in two different countries.


• The Premiership win is Stephen's fourth but Jamie's first.  The record for the youngest New Zealand trainer to win the Premiership is 31 years of age - and was held by none other than Te Akau's Mark Walker when he claimed the 2003/04 Trainers' Premiership - his first of five in New Zealand.  Now that record belongs to another Te Akau trainer - Jamie Richards, aged 26.  One thing Te Akau has always prided itself on is recognising and developing young talent - both horse and human!


• Te Akau NZ recorded 104 wins for the 2015/16 season.  Of those 104 wins, 10 were at Group or Listed level - including FOUR Group 1 titles.  Te Akau horses posted 81 second and 59 third placings.


• Te Akau owners in New Zealand won $2,156,100 in prize money for the season.


• Te Akau NZ's strike rate was an impressive 5.32.


• Te Akau's undoubted NZ highlights included winning the Group 1 NZ 2000/1000 Guineas double with Xtravagant and Risque, followed by Xtravagant's win against the older horses in the Group 1 NRM Sprint.  Added to this was the true valour of Heroic Valour to follow his Listed Matamata Slipper win with victory in the Group 1 Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie during Auckland Cup Week.


• Te Akau NZ is honoured that the following have been named finalists at the upcoming Horse of the Year Awards - Stephen Autridge/Jamie Richards (Trainer of the Year), Xtravagant (Champi0n 3YO and Champion Sprinter/Miler), Heroic Valour (Champion 2YO) and Risque (Champion 3YO).  Xtravagant and Heroic Valour were both selected and purchased by David from Karaka.


• Te Akau is truly blessed with some of the best crew you will find in New Zealand racing - and not to single anyone out but our senior team members supporting our trainers Stephen and Jamie - including Lynley Autridge, Steve O'Neill, Kris and Nicole Shailer, Daniel Miller, Kerry Jones, Milou Grylls, Teina Walters and Brad Taylor - they are joined by a superb support crew at the stable and a wonderful Te Akau Stud team too in Jason, Robyn, Julia-Rose, Melissa, Luke, Toni and Sinead. Other important partners in Te Akau's success are our veterinarian surgeon Douglas Black and his Hamilton Vets' equine team, our farrier Gareth Allis and so many others, too numerous to highlight - but each and every one pivotal to the stable's success.

  



• Did you know - Te Akau has been making its mark worldwide - unbeaten colt Heroic Valour's win in the Group 1 Diamond Stakes was his superstar sire Fastnet Rock's first ever Group 1 two year old winner worldwide?  When Sassy 'n' Smart won on debut at Riccarton, she became her sire Smart Missile's first ever winner - and by claiming the Listed Welcome Stakes at her second start, she also became his first global stakes' winner.

• Te Akau NZ's stable rider Matt Cameron finished runner up on the Jockeys' Premiership (having been the winner for the past two seasons) with 154 winners, 11 Group and Listed (including Te Akau's Group 1 Guineas' double) and $2.93 million in stake money won.  Matt's strike rate of 5.25 is the best of the top 100 riders in the country - only excluding Opie Bosson who relocated to Hong Kong and Shaun Fannin whose later season focus was jumps' racing.


• David Ellis was for the 11th time the leading buyer at the Karaka Sale - an unprecedented support of the New Zealand breeding industry.

In the last 12 months from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016 Te Akau Racing (NZ & Singapore) has won 180 races, 11 Group and Listed races (four Group 1's) - winning our owners $6.83 million in prize money.

So today - 1 August - all statistics turn back to zero - it's Te Teko trials day tomorrow - we can't wait -in the words of commentator George Simon "Bring it On"!!