Te Akau Midweek Update
11 February, 2026
David writes:
Tuesday mornings are always exciting when I listen to Mark, Sam, Reece and Hunter and find out which horses have worked well at the track.
Yesterday morning at 6.00 a.m. I received a video of the two-year-olds working, and we could well have an exciting day in Matamata in store on Saturday. Last year we won both of the black type two-year-old races, so there is certainly plenty to look forward to.
It was the most beautiful morning yesterday and again today you could ever imagine at Te Akau. I drive around the farm with dictaphone in hand! The grass is still very green for February (as you can see in the main picture) and we have more rain coming, which is great to hear.
On Monday I received a phone call from my fat stock buyer Alan Radford who has handled all my buying and selling since 1979. Alan works full-time for Greenlea, which only processes beef, and he also organises for my lambs to go to Wilson Hellaby - another very good company. It's Livestock Manager, Mark Lambert, like Alan, is as good as they get.
Alan was extremely happy when he rang to tell me that the lambs I processed on Monday made $202 each - the highest price he has ever drafted lambs at. He said what gave him particular satisfaction was that the cattle he processed for me in October/November were the most expensive cattle he had ever handled in his career, and now the lambs are the most expensive he has drafted on the sheep side.
For both of those results to come from Te Akau Stud was a big thrill for him - and for me - and enormous credit must go to the team that runs the sheep and cattle side of the business. Well done to them. You can see how well the cattle and sheep thrive here, the horses are no different!
Yesterday we sent two senior young women from the farm to Ellerslie to assist our Matamata team as we had 36 horses trialling including some very smart two-year-olds that I purchased at the sales last year. We don’t take our two-year-olds to the trials to win - we take them to educate them. We were delighted with the overall results from the trials - there is exciting racing to come for sure.
It is another very busy week at Te Akau Stud, with Karyn and I spending 90% of our time talking to people about buying shares in yearlings. I am extremely excited about the yearlings we have purchased this year. Next season for Te Akau is shaping up to be something special - we will have some really nice horses to train, for our owners to enjoy too.
I thought today I would highlight Lot 499 from the Magic Millions' sale - we all remember what an incredible horse Dundeel was - and this colt is a strapping individual by Dundeel out of Luna Mia - he was terrace buying at A$170,000.
Dundeel is a top-tier sire and was a multiple Group 1 winner himself. This striking colt’s pedigree blends speed and staying power beautifully. He really is a stand-out type, he really impresses, and with his pedigree he has with huge upside.
You can give me a call anytime on +64 21 925 151 or email karyn at [email protected] - she is more than happy to answer any questions you may have on any yearling. You will always be made to feel very welcome and always feel free to contact us.
We would love to have you on the Tangerine Team!