Jamie Joins the Team

We are proud to welcome Jamie Richards to the Te Akau team as our new Racing Manager - and Jamie has already hit the ground running - bursting out of the starting gates!

A talented young horseman, son of former top jockey (riding over 1000 winners) and now established trainer Paul Richards and his wife Leanne, Jamie himself has competed as an amateur rider and has recorded three wins and two seconds from only six rides.

Having been immersed in racing all his life, Jamie has a terrific empathy with the thoroughbred industry. Completing his secondary education at Otago Boys' High School, Jamie graduated from Otago University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Management and Accounting and he also has a Diploma in Marketing.

He has since been awarded a Sunline International Management Scholarship that enabled him to spend ten weeks working in the thoroughbred industry in England and a further ten weeks in Kentucky. He has also spent time working at Coolmore Stud, New Zealand Bloodstock, and most recently at Waikato Stud.

“The Sunline Scholarship is funded by the Sunline Trust which is managed by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (NZTBA),” said Richards.

“It was nine months, with equal time spent in England, Ireland and America. While at Chevely Park Stud in Newmarket I attended some of the night classes associated with English National Stud course which was a valuable experience and I worked mainly with mares and foals there.

“I worked at Coolmore Ireland with the mares and foals, also in the stallion barn, and then went to Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky and worked for them at the Saratoga and Keeneland Sales, which was a massive learning curve. They prepped a couple of hundred yearlings.

“Then, with the scholarship finished, I went back to England and accompanied a couple of bloodstock agents at Tattersall's during the Book 1 sale in October and did some yearlings in the Book 2 sale.

“Once home in November 2012, I worked under Danny Rolston in the bloodstock department at New Zealand Bloodstock and also with Petrea Vela and Jessie Gower in the marketing department. I was writing stories, doing stats, looking at horses, and I then acted as a bid spotter at the sales. I then returned home to Dunedin to finish off my diploma in marketing, worked for my parents, paid back some debt and on 1 July last year I returned north and started work for Waikato Stud.

“I enjoyed my time and varied role at Waikato Stud. I helped with vet work during the season, took down notes when the vet was scanning mares and entered them into the computer, watched the stallions serve and in between times I rode a bit of work on their track. I also looked after the racehorse transportation and attended the races and trials when Mark (Chittick) or Garry (Chittick) had other commitments. It probably graduated to a Racing Manager type role for Waikato and once up at the Karaka sales in January I marked the cards for horse inspections, greeted all the people and was thrilled when Waikato topped the sale as leading vendor on aggregate which was a huge result.  The stud celebrated its highest ever priced lot with the Savabeel - Splashing Out colt taking those honours.  He was outstanding yearling purchased by David Ellis and I am looking forward to being associated with his future career path.

“Following the sales, I had a sit down with Mark and Garry and decided that Te Akau was a good change, something different, and an opportunity to concentrate a bit more on racing,” said Richards.

So, it has been a whirlwind time for Jamie and he now joins Te Akau under the watchful eye of David Ellis.

“I never cease to get excited when I see young people of Jamie's ability wanting to be part of our industry. The bloodstock industry gets a huge boost when someone with Jamie's qualifications and personality chooses this career path,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis.

“He's a young man that is really going places and Karyn and I are thrilled to have him working with Te Akau. The future bodes well for racing when people like him are passionate about their involvement.

Part of Jamie's introduction to Te Akau has been David Ellis' determination to see him become familiar with all aspects of the Te Akau operation.  He has already spent valuable days at Te Akau Stud and rides work most days at the Matamata stable, getting to know the equine team inside out.  This knowledge is pivotal for his role in liaising with our owners at trials and the races and on a day to day basis.

Jamie has also recently returned from 10 days in Singapore experiencing our business and stable life there.  Staying with Mark and Julia Walker, it was a great opportunity to experience first-hand the success of Te Akau Singapore.

“In Singapore, Mark (Walker) said to me, ‘if owners have a horse racing, they can turn a visit into a holiday,' said Richards.

‘The Singapore Turf Club (STC) is very welcoming, and race day has a great atmosphere - fantastic grandstand and world class facilities; the owners can come see their horse in track work, spend four or five days having a look around the city and take in two race meetings over a weekend'.

“There is a lot going on up there, it is unbelievably clean, a safe place to live, and comparable to our dollar for socialising. Taxis are heavily subsidised by the government as they don't want people driving cars,” said Richards.

“They have the best of the best in Singapore,” said Richards.

“Whether it be a trainer, jockey, farrier, or vet, Mark having won five premierships in New Zealand, Lisa Allpress has won the jockey premiership in NZ, Corey Brown is a carnival jockey in Sydney, Manuel Nunes is one of the best riders from his home country in Brazil and while Joao Moreira has left Singapore, he is now proving world class in Hong Kong. The place is full of industry specialists in their chosen field and of course the stakes' money is just going to continue to get better.

“Singapore's dollar is virtually on par with ours ($NZ) and as of April 1 the Maiden races rose to $75,000. The key is go to Singapore unraced or as a maiden in order to take advantage of the great stakes on offer in their rightful grade. For example, Flying Solo (Flying Spur) goes up there before he turns four, having just won a trial.  He's mature and he's able to run for $75,000 straight off. I also saw the Stratum/Lazaan two-year-old gelding that has recently arrived and he has shown enough at home in his trials to be a promising sort of horse in Singapore.

“Mark trained the champion two-year-old in Singapore last season in War Affair (O'Reilly) who was bought by David for just $70,000 at Karaka. He is a horse that showed good promise at home and went up there and just kept improving to win $770,000 with seven wins from ten starts.”

Richards noted that while it is humid, the heat is not that different at this time of year, and with air conditioning and fans in the stables the horses are l really relaxed.

“All the boxes are rubber lined, safe and open and they can see the other horses in the barn,” said Richards. “The track is open at 6am, so they all work before it gets hot and Mark has a good team of young boys working for him and the quality of care they get is second to none.  They love being taken swimming in the afternoons too.

“The class of horse there now is very much different to what it first was,” said Richards. “They (horses) are coming from everywhere in the world, whether it be Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Ireland, England, France, America, South Africa, Japan, South America, all over. And, the New Zealanders are still right on top of the game. An example of the quality of horse: Barnato (Redoute's Choice), who won the $90,000 2YO race on March 23, cost A$300,000 as a three-quarter brother to champion filly Gold Edition (Lion Hunter), and a really promising Darci Brahma (Danehill) gelding, Goliath won the $150,000 Marsiling Stakes (Gr. 3, 1800m).

“In addition to owners receiving a $900 rebate off training costs when their horse races, the veterinarians are employed by the Singapore Turf Club and the costs heavily subsidised,” said Richards.

“As horses get a bit older and meet their mark in a class, they are able to drop back, as they get lower in the ratings and as we've seen with a horse like Affirmation (Fastnet Rock). He's now seven years old, won eight races and nearly $300,000 and shows if you look after them and they're sound, then they can keep racing.

Part of Jamie's new role is to identify suitable horses near, or in racing trim, which can compete in Singapore.

“We have great options and opportunities available for our owners who want the thrill of racing in Singapore. Currently we are selling shares in two cracking yearling colts David bought at Karaka who will do their racing there.  Last November David bought two Ready to Run colts now named Deluge (Guillotine) and Regal Red (Shinko King) and they will soon leave for Singapore.  Both are shaping up well and that syndicate filled really fast.

“We may also buy a couple of trial winners with a view to getting a syndicate together, which would be a good way for owners to have a horse that was ready to go and get on a plane within the next couple of months, then go on to race in a short timeframe,” said Richards. “It would be a way for owners to maximise the thrill, because the return on investment up there is pretty good. For example, a horse purchased for around $80,000 and landed up there, quarantined and trialled for around $100,000 can then have their first race for $75,000. So, it's a good equation with the right horse. There is a very good two-year-old and three-year-old series in Singapore, so there is money to be made.”

Richards said: “I had a really good day at the races at the Sunday March 23 meeting with the High Commissioner of New Zealand in Singapore, H.E. Mrs Bernadette Cavanagh (daughter of former Prime Minister Jim Bolger) along with her staff. The Hon. Murray McCully (Minister of Foreign Affairs & Minister of Sport & Recreation - main picture with Jamie) was also with us as was Mark Robinson (Director Fonterra SEA - also pictured with Jamie).  The event was hosted by Michael Kneebone from New Zealand Bloodstock (Director of Bloodstock & Sales in Asia) and included trade associates and expats living in Singapore.

Back in New Zealand, Jamie will be attending the South Island Session of NZB's Karaka Sale as our representative this weekend and will also be at the races on Saturday at Riccarton.  When you see Jamie, introduce yourself to him - you will be seeing and hearing plenty more about our most recent addition to the team.

If you would like to meet up with Jamie at the sale o at the Riccarton races please call him on 0274 274800.  He'd love to hear from you!