Te Akau Friday Update

David writes:

It has been a most exciting week for everybody at the Te Akau Racing.  We had a lovely team of 35 horses that went to the Te Teko trials for education and to further their fitness and we all came home very excited about the coming season.

What was even more exciting was how these horses have done since the trials. This tells me that they enjoyed their day out and most of these horses will carry on to the races now.  The team led by Stephen and Jamie and assisted by Pam and Stephen O'Neill are doing a great job.

We have had plenty of rain on the farm this week and everything is pretty wet but this farmer loves the rain and it has been very mild and the grass is definitely growing.  This week Hawkes Bay stock agent and client Ken Browne bought 53 yearling steers for me at the Hastings sale which averaged about $750. Also Alan Radford bought a small line at the Frankton sale in Hamilton.  Cattle prices are very strong.  Already the processors are paying over $6 per kg for prime ox and bull meat and I am predicting a record year for our beef and another just average year for our lamb.

There is one thing that will happen and I am planning and budgeting for this.  What goes up must come down and I am predicting beef to fall dramatically in 18-24 months and dairy to recover big time.

This next week we are handling the yearlings, drenching and trimming their feet etc.  We have six Rock 'n' Pop yearlings in here at the stud being last year's foals. They are a very impressive bunch.

Meanwhile in Singapore Mark Walker has a fabulous team of horses racing this weekend.  Mark has 12 horses in today and 10 in on Sunday.  Racing in Singapore today starts at 4.50pm New Zealand time as it is a public holiday in Singapore.  Races 1 - 9 are on Channel 62 and the last two races are on Channel 63.

Have a great weekend everyone!