Te Akau Friday Update

David writes:

For New Zealanders, it is a "fabulous Friday" - the start of a long weekend.  Labour Weekend for Te Akau Racing is one that is usually full-on and this 2015 edition is no different.

We will have our racing team represented at Riccarton, at Ellerslie, at Kranji, at Trentham and at Te Rapa!  Yes it is all hands on deck for a busy weekend of racing.

Starting in the south - Te Akau co-trainer Jamie Richards will travel to Christchurch today to join Pam, Gary and Meg at Riccarton.  We have six runners lining up at Riccarton tomorrow and all of the fairer sex!

Two year old trial winner Sassy 'n' Smart (who I bought from the Sydney Easter Sale) makes her debut having travelled well to our southern base.  Her travelling companion was Opulent, a beautifully bred daughter of Keeper who steps out in the Rating 75 1200m. Opulent has won two of her nine starts with five other second or third placings - she goes head to head with her last start winning stablemate Flaming.  Both mares were bought by me from Karaka.

Classy staying filly Vive La Difference, another Karaka purchase,  has been the (super) model of consistency in the south with two second placings and one third.  She has drawn well in the Rating 75 1800m and will be ridden by Michael McNab who has travelled south to take four rides for Te Akau.  She is a very good 4YO mare who will win a top race - she was third in the Group 2 Championship Stakes over 2100m at Ellerslie in April, only a length short of the winner Werther.

Werther has since gone to Australia and in May was runner up in the Group 1 South Australian Derby before winning the Group 2 Eagle Farm Cup in Queensland that month.  In June he was second in the Group 1 Queensland Derby - so the form around "Sophie" (as we know Vive La Difference) is very good.

Our final two Riccarton runners are part of our "high-flying filly brigade" - both Special Memories and Risque have saluted the judge since travelling to the south and the Listed $70,000 Armadillo Stakes is a key lead up for them both as they head towards the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on 14 November.

Here is what The Informant had to say about our two fillies:

Six North Island three-year-olds are among the seven highest rated runners in the Listed Armadillo Stakes at Riccarton Park tomorrow (Saturday), and the winner is likely to be among them.

Te Akau trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards will have two fillies in the race, Special Memories and Risque, and both are on a path towards the Gr. 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas.

The pair came up against each other when they last raced, with Special Memories winning the 1400-metre Guineas Trial comfortably from Risque who was running on late.

Special Memories, who will be ridden by David Walsh tomorrow, has been a tad wayward at times in her starts to date. Autridge told The Informant that he'll be hoping she settles this week.

“She can get a bit keen, we'll look to ride her off the pace, back of midfield,” he said. “Her last run was very good, she's stepping up to 1600 metres but I don't see that as a problem.”

He also called Risque's last run very good and said he's always been keen to see her over 1600 metres. Risque has drawn five and will be ridden by Michael McNab. Autridge said that the Darci Brahma filly will get a nice sit behind the pace from her good draw.

The Oaks Stud owned-filly has been ridden by Walsh in her two South Island starts, and two starts back she won a Pearl Series maiden at Ashburton by 11 lengths. She was second-last till the turn in the Guineas' Trial and found the line impressively. Autridge describes the pair as two smart fillies with plenty of upside.

Across the strait and classy colt Xtravagant will race at the Wellington Club's Trentham meeting, being accompanied by our apprentice Daniel Miller who is a top rate horseman. I bought this full brother to He's Remarkable at Karaka and he will contest the Guineas' Trial en route to Christchurch with the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas in his sights.  Matt Cameron will ride as the Trentham meeting also sees the staging of the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate that was postponed from Hastings.

Te Akau co-trainer Stephen Autridge will have a busy day too at Ellerslie - speaking of our "fab fillies" we have three entered in the Listed $50,000 Harold Plumley Junior Soliloquy Stakes - Tatters, Thetruthisoutthere and Duchess Kate.  All three have been impressive winners in the past month and all three also have a keen eye on the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas.  Geldings Imperium and Wolfwhistle - both geldings I bought and both out of Group 1 winning mares in Ethereal and Legs - will also make an appearance.

Te Akau Racing's New Zealand trainers have shot out of the starting stalls this season and currently Stephen and Jamie sit second on the Trainers' Premiership, just one win off the leader.  Already we have seen 19 winners, a massive 17  runners up and 11 third placegetters.  The season I can tell you will only keep getting more exciting too with the horses we have in the stable.  The horses are in magnificent order and all credit to Steve and Jamie, Pam and Steve O'Neill and the whole team for the job they are doing.

On Friday night and Sunday, Te Akau Racing Singapore trainer Mark Walker will start eight and ten runners respectively.  Mark is having a stellar season and has now trained 71 winners. When you think he has had 65 second and 105 third placegetters, gee you can see just how well the team is racing.  A real credit to Mark, Gus and everyone involved.  Now we have only 15 race meetings left until the end of the Singapore season so we all have our fingers crossed Mark can win his first Singapore Trainers' Premiership there - he currently has an eight win lead - to complement his five New Zealand titles.

As Monday is a public holiday in New Zealand there will be racing at Te Rapa and another of our blue blooded colts will face a hot line-up in the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes as he too heads towards Riccarton and the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas.  I bought Scrutinize at Karaka and in fact he is a half brother to Wolfwhistle who will run at Ellerslie and was a stakes' winner about this time last year in Christchurch. It will be another busy day "at the office" for Karyn as Chairman of the Club and that night after the races she drives to Auckland to fly to Dunedin for two days of Arts' Council meetings.

So as you can see, all in all, it is a really busy time for everyone - we are just so lucky to have such a passionate team who work so hard to turn every horse into a winner for our hugely loyal owners.

Outside of racing, it has been a busy week with Karyn in Auckland for meetings (and the Neil Diamond concert too)!  We have been renovating a cottage on the farm and that has taken a lot of time and energy but is coming together really well.  I have also got a team of contractors on site tarsealing the main driveway up to the stud office which will make a big (no dust) difference in the summer.

I managed to get up to Auckland during the week and visit with my first grandchild - Joanna and Leon have called him Ted Nicholas.  My son Davey and his fiancee Lucy are expecting their first child in February so Ted won't be the only grandchild for long!

This weekend I have my sister Sue coming to stay with my nephew and godson GD and we are going to install a plaque that honours her late husband, and GD's Dad, Geoff who died in an air accident on the farm almost 30 years ago.  We have planted a special tree in his honour.  I have been busy selling cattle as well so there is never a dull day at Te Akau!

It is of course a huge weekend for the All Blacks and I know the whole country will be cheering the boys home against the never-underestimate-them South African Springboks!

GO THE AB'S