"Te Akau Lockdown Love"

Welcome to Day 8 of our new feature - as our world around us changes indelibly, we want to bring some smiles and sunshine every day - yes a small distraction but it does everyone good to be able to smile when times are tough.

This is a colt who simply captures your imagination - he's an impeccably bred son of Savabeel our of the Group winning mare Magic Dancer. He can be a little aloof, taking time to suss you out before allowing the neck scratches he loves SO much. Once you get his nod of approval, you are sweet!

There's no question he has everything required of a future stallion, so we can't wait to get him out on the track and see what the future holds for him.

He's currently in a paddock right beside the Te Akau Stud office so, just like our Snitzel/In The Vanguard colt, he likes to think he is the supervisor or overseer of all comings and goings - the stud team very much piques his interest, he is curious about everything - especially the rescue cats Misty and daughter Willow.

Our colt is called "Novak" and yes, named after the tennis superstar and World No.1 player Novak Djokovic - we think our colt is a real athlete, has a real presence about him and is all class like his namesake. The human Novak has won 17 Grand Slam singles' titles, five ATP Finals, 34 ATP Tour Masters' 1000 titles, 14 ATP Tour 500 titles and has held the No.1 spot in the world for over 280 weeks.

Add a record eight Australian Open wins, five Wimbleton titles, three US Open victories and a French Open for good luck - you can see why it's a fitting stable name!

Our Savabeel - Magic Dancer was purchased by David Ellis in January at the 2020 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Waikato Stud.

The Te Akau principal had to see off powerful Hawkes Racing, who train at Rosehill, and Flemington, in order to secure the colt described by Mark Chittick (Waikato Stud) as “the most outstanding horse in our draft all the way through, from the time he was born on the farm”.

By five-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel), he is the first foal from Magic Dancer (Rip Van Winkle) - sire of Te Akau Shark - who figured among the top echelon of two-year-olds when racing in 2014-15. At two, Magic Dancer coasted home to win the Phoenix Park Classic (Gr. 3, 1200m).

Te Akau has a phenomenal record with the progeny of the all-conquering Savabeel: Group One winners Cool Aza Beel, Probabeel, Sword of Osman, Embellish, Hall of Fame, Shillelagh, along with stakes' winners and performers Prise De Fer, Splurge, Royal Success, Grazia and Savy Yong Blonk to name but a few.

#loveinthelockdown

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