Te Akau Midweek Update

David writes:

Every October, since I’ve been involved in racing, always feels like the most frustrating month of the racing season. In the Waikato/Auckland region, we still tend to get very high rainfall, the tracks are generally soft to heavy, and it’s not really until about early November that they start to improve. So we spend all winter waiting for better conditions, only to get a week of weather bombs like last week - something nobody can control, but which is certainly frustrating for everyone in the industry.

I felt particularly sorry for the Waikato Thoroughbred Racing, which in my opinion is an extremely well-run organisation, with Te Rapa being called off on Monday.  Its track manager Bart Cowan and CEO Butch Castles are as good as they come. Opie Bosson told me after the first race that the track was great - then that light drizzle came, which changed everything. I really felt for them, because it’s very tough financially for any club when a race meeting, that so many people have worked so very hard to prepare for, gets disrupted.

No-one wins - owners, riders, trainers, Clubs, the industry.  Between race day and trial cancellations, it has been a very hard season to prepare horses. The latest, very concerning news about Awapuni also does not make for good reading at all.

On the bright side - it was still a great weekend for Te Akau. 

On Saturday we won six races in one afternoon - five at Riccarton and one very impressive win at Ellerslie by a Savabeel filly called Belle Cheval, who Sam Bergerson had tipped as his bet of the week! Our good friends David Archer and Dianne Wright own this filly, and it wasn’t our first success for them – they were also in the ownership of Tokyo Tycoon, who won the Karaka Millions in 2023.

Saturday at Riccarton was one of those special days. It started in Race 2 with victory by a horse I bought at last year’s Ready to Run Sale – called One True King, remarkably he still has shares available. Three people actually bought shares in him on Saturday morning, and just a few hours later they were celebrating a win! It’s not often you buy a horse and get a result that quickly - a pretty exciting moment, and the owners were absolutely thrilled.

By King’s Legacy, I bought him for $190,000 at the Ready to Run Sale last year, and he’s giving his owners plenty to smile about. I think he could end up being a very good horse come autumn. There’s still about 15% available in him, so if you’re interested, feel free to give me a call anytime on +64 21 925 151, or email Karyn at [email protected] - she can sent you his latest video updates – she’ll be happy to help.

In the next race at Riccarton, we won the two-year-old event for our daughter Julia-Rose Hayes’ Tangerine Army Syndicate with a gelding named Out of the Blue. He's almost won his purchase price back in stakes' and it's fantastic to see so many young people involved in his ownership, many for the first time - he now looks one of the early favourites for the Karaka Millions. He’ll come home to the farm tomorrow for a short 2–3 week spell. This trip has been a great education for him - he’s strengthened up nicely and has really developed through the experience.

Legally Binding was also in the winners' circle at Riccarton - a son of Exceedance, he's lightly raced and it is great to see his owners' patience being rewarded.  He has now won three races, and twice finished second, in just six starts. I bought him at the 2023 Magic Millions' sale on the Gold Coast for A$90,000 - an interesting fact: every horse we purchased from that sale has been a winner.

It was also a big thrill to finish first and third in the Group 3 War Decree Stakes with Origin of Love and War of Silence. Winning this black type race with a Snitzel filly who possesses such a lovely pedigree is a huge boost for her page and future value - and I thought the colt who was third was also little unlucky – he was three and four wide the whole way, so to finish a close third was a terrific run - he was only beaten a nose/half a neck.

We rounded off the day with a stayer called I’m a Dirty Rascal saluting the judge.  We bought him on an online sale for A$95,000 and he is now one of the favourites for the New Zealand Cup.

When you buy these horses and see them perform so well, it’s just incredibly rewarding for the owners – and for Karyn and me, it’s a huge thrill to see people’s investment and loyalty turning into such great results.

We’re really looking forward to the three-day New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton, and I’d like to congratulate our whole South Island team, led by assistant trainer Hunter Durrant. We have 22 horses in work at our Riccarton stable, so to be the leading stable in the South Island is a huge thrill.

Over the weekend Karyn was also in Melbourne attending the final race meeting, as we know it, at Moonee Valley - a highlight was seeing our former stable rider James McDonald become the first jockey to win four consecutive Group 1 Cox Plate's - what an incredible achievement.  

We were also very proud that the Club has decided to permanently honour Imperatriz through the Imperatriz Sprint every year on this huge day of racing.  Unbeaten in four Group 1 races, and a Group 2 race, with two track records - she deserves the title bestowed on her as Queen of the Valley, and it's a very special accolade.

Back at the farm, the grass is magnificent, and the cattle are thriving. Over the past two weeks we’ve bought 750 store cattle at an average of $1,700 – still very good buying, especially considering the prices we’re getting for cattle at the processors.

A lot of people have very kindly asked about my recent health, and I’m very pleased to report that I’m on the improve every day. I am having some ongoing treatment in Auckland but I’m even allowed back into the gym tomorrow! So overall, the news couldn’t be better.

Thank you to everyone who’s been in touch - there are so many caring people out there, and Karyn and I are deeply grateful for all your support and good wishes - plenty of spring in my step yet! 

It's a busy week ahead with trials tomorrow at Taupo, racing at Ashburton and Cranbourne on Friday - and on Saturday we are excited to have five horses contesting black type races at Flemington.  

Damask Rose lines up in the A$1 million Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes, a race we have won previously with Melody Belle.  Azazel, the last start winners of last week's Listed Geelong Classic, will contest the A$2 million Group 1 Victoria Derby, together with stablemate Mcwoody.  Recent stable addition Geegees Mistruth and Crismera take their places in the Group 3 Rising Fast and Group 2 Wakeful Stakes respectively.

A large team heads to Tauranga that same day and as you will see from the runners' section on our website, we are racing across a good number of other trans-Tasman venues.

Best of luck to all our owners with runners over coming days and through the weekend!

GO THE TANGERINE TEAM!