Te Akau Friday Update

David writes:

After a busy week of looking at yearlings throughout the Waikato, we were up at 5am and on the road to Wellington this morning.

When we arrive we are hiring a car and heading over the Rimutaka Hill to the Wairarapa - we are going to Ardsley Stud first to see Jim Wallace's yearlings and then on to Little Avondale to see Sam and Catriona Williams' draft.  Then it is off to Trentham races tomorrow.

While we haven't got any runners at Trentham tomorrow, we will definitely have runners on Monday and Cup Day which is next Saturday and one of the biggest days of the year for the Wellington Racing Club.

We decided not to run Rockfast in the Group 1 Levin Classic at Wellington.  I guess at the back of my mind was that last year the track was like concrete and I didn't want to run the risk of him jarring up as his goal this campaign is the Group 1 NZ Derby at the end of February.  I do feel that this Group 1 race at Wellington is not programmed well and should be run on Oaks' day in March in six weeks' time.  I believe that people don't want to trek their horses all the way to Wellington when they have an Ellerslie goal in mind - their preference therefore will always be to stay in the north.

So Rockfast will run next in the Karaka Mile on Sunday week - in the past four years we have won this race twice, and twice been runner up.  After that he heads to the Avondale Guineas and then onto the Derby.

I always get excited when we have a horse that I bought as a yearling having its first start.  Special Memories is a Fastnet Rock filly that I bought at Karaka for $400,000.  Nicknamed Cassie, Special Memories is beautifully bred, being out of a Galileo mare and she debuts tomorrow at Te Rapa. She has been working up well and providing she does everything right we expect her to go a good race.

We also have a very lovely 4YO High Chaparral mare called La Adelita in at Te Rapa.  She will be ridden by promising apprentice Anna Jones who claims 2kgs.  Bred by Justice Dame Lowell Goddard, she is raced by Dame Lowell, Sir Peter Vela and Karyn.  She won her last start and we expect her to be very competitive again despite stepping up in grade.

We have 15 horses racing this weekend in Singapore and Mark has some really good chances including Clermont Club and Riedel.

So yes, still very busy days and some exciting times ahead including Karaka Million night next Sunday. Matt Cameron was at the Matamata track again this morning and reports that Windborne, Vive La Difference and Abidewithme all worked really well and are on target for major assignments next weekend.

Windborne tackles the Karaka Million, Vive La Difference lines up in the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham on Cup Day Saturday and that same day, Abidewithme will contest the Group 1 Thordon Mile.