Te Akau Midweek Update

David writes:

What a fantastic week of racing it has been for Te Akau!

We won six races in just 24 hours in New Zealand, which was an absolutely tremendous effort by our team. We started with three winners at Taupo on Friday, followed by two at Ashburton and another at Hawke's Bay on Saturday. Then, to round off a wonderful weekend, we added another winner at Rotorua on Sunday, bringing our total to seven wins!

What a thrill that was!

There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing our horses winning races for our owners, and to have success across both the North and South Islands like that is incredibly satisfying.

Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson are now nine wins clear at the top of the Trainers' Premiership, with 31 wins already this season, $947,890 in stakes won for our owners, and an outstanding strike rate of 4.58.

For anyone who isn't familiar with strike rates, that means that for every 4.58 runners we have had, we have trained a winner. That is a remarkable achievement and something I am extremely proud of.

I want to congratulate Mark, Sam and every single member of our teams at Matamata and Riccarton. Results like these don't happen by accident. There is an enormous amount of hard work, dedication, attention to detail and teamwork behind every winner.

Our owners see the excitement on race day, and I know they also understand just how much effort goes into preparing these horses, seven days a week, in all sorts of weather. That's why we have such an incredible family of loyal, enthusiastic owners!

This Saturday night, we are taking our Matamata team out for dinner to celebrate their success and thank them for the wonderful job they are doing. Then during New Zealand Cup Week, we will have a nice dinner with our Riccarton team to also thank them for their dedication and hard work!

These are small ways of showing our appreciation for the tremendous commitment our people make to Te Akau and, most importantly, to our owners and their horses. I certainly feel like the proudest man in the world to be their team leader!

It has been an incredibly busy 12 months for us buying and selling shares in horses.

We have purchased more than 40 horses during that time, and I have been delighted with the interest and support we have received from both our existing owners and the many new people who have joined the tangerine team.

In fact, we are now only have five horses with shares still available, and these are five young horses we can really recommend.

What I particularly like about this remaining group is that they offer quite different racing opportunities, depending on what sort of horse you would most enjoy being involved with.

Let me tell you a little about each of them.

Petillante – Snitzel/Bubbleberry Filly - stablename 'Cristal': https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-131-snitzel-aus-bubbleberry-aus-bay-filly

She is Lot 131 from the Magic Millions, a beautiful Snitzel filly, who we purchased from Coolmore Stud for A$325,000. She has now been named Petillante, and we have just 2.5% available in her.

I have always had enormous respect for Snitzel as a sire, he was a superstar sire in every measure of the word, and this is a filly I was delighted to secure.

We see her as a lovely prospect for the important two-year-old fillies' races, including the Group 1 Sires' Produce, and with only such a small share remaining, this is a wonderful opportunity for someone to become involved in her ownership.

Secret Agent – Derryn/Secret Spirit Gelding - stablename 'Amon': https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-108-derryn-aus-secret-spirit-nz-bay-colt

Next is Lot 108 from Karaka, the Derryn gelding out of Secret Spirit, who we purchased from Grangewilliam Stud for $100,000.

He has been named Secret Agent, and we have only 7.5% available.

This is a very nice gelding, and while he may not be an early two-year-old, we expect to see him race in the autumn. Some horses simply need more time to develop and strengthen, and we believe this fellow could very well develop into a Derby horse.

There is something very satisfying about seeing a young horse develop with time, and I think he is a particularly interesting prospect for anyone who enjoys the excitement of a horse with staying potential.

Scorching – Too Darn Hot/Spritz Colt - stablename 'Scorch': https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-152-too-darn-hot-gb-spritz-nz-brown-colt

Another horse I am particularly excited about is Lot 152 from Karaka, a Too Darn Hot colt out of Spritz, who we purchased from Beaufort Downs for $320,000.

He has been named Scorching, and there is only 12.5% available.

This colt has trialled already, and was very impressive finishing a close second to stablemate Zanardi, who last weekend won the first two year old race of the season. The third horse was seven lengths behind which shows you how precocious this pair is.

He has been showing us plenty in his trackwork, and I think he is a particularly nice young horse. If you are looking for an early-running two-year-old, Scorching would be my recommendation.

He will trial again in the next fortnight and then all going well, be off to the races - I am very much looking forward to seeing how he continues to progress.

British Rose – Proisir/Colerne filly - stablemate 'Lola': https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-357-proisir-aus-colerne-aus-bay-filly

I must say, I am genuinely amazed that this next filly has not yet sold out! Mind you the mighty Imperatriz, and other Group 1 winners Avantage and Captured By Love were exactly the same in their years!

She is Lot 357 from Karaka, a lovely Proisir filly out of Colerne, who we purchased from Haunui Farm for $250,000.

Only 10% in her is now available and as we well know, Proisir has left star race fillies and mares - just think of:

Legarto - Champion 3YO Filly and multiple Group 1 winner including the NZ 1000 Guineas and Australian Guineas; Prowess - Champion Middle-Distance Horse and star performer winning group 1 races on both sides of the Tasman as well as the Karaka Millions 3YO; and Levante - Champion Sprinter/Miler and multiple Group 1 winning mare.

I have always been very enthusiastic about this filly, and I believe she offers her owners a particularly exciting opportunity. She strikes me as the type of filly who could develop into a Group 1 Oaks' prospect, and we all know how rewarding it is to have a filly capable of competing in those important staying races.

I certainly think she deserves a very close look from anyone considering taking a share in a quality young filly.

Seesaw – Circus Maximus/Catch Your Idol gelding - stablename 'Norman’: https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-337-circus-maximus-ire-catch-your-idol-nz

The final horse we have available is Lot 337 from Karaka, a Circus Maximus gelding out of Catch Your Idol, who we purchased from Curraghmore Stud for $160,000.

He has been named Seesaw, and there is 10% remaining available.

This is another young horse I like very much, and one we believe could develop into a very nice 2000 Guineas or Derby prospect. An interesting feature of his ownership is that 50% is owned and managed by OTI Racing, and he will race in OTI's colours. The other 50% is managed by Te Akau.

We are looking forward to seeing how this young horse develops, and I think he offers a very exciting opportunity.

One of the things I enjoy most about buying yearlings is that no two horses are exactly alike. They all have their own personalities, pedigrees, strengths and potential, and part of the excitement is identifying the type of racing career we believe each one might have.

If you are looking for an early-running two-year-old, I would point you towards Scorching, our Too Darn Hot colt.

If you would love to race a filly with Sires' Produce potential, Petillante, our Snitzel filly from the Magic Millions, could be just the girl for you.

For those dreaming of winning a 2000 Guineas or a Derby, I would encourage you to look at Secret Agent, our Derryn gelding, or Seesaw, our Circus Maximus gelding.

And if an Oaks filly is what you have always wanted, I think British Rose is a particularly attractive prospect.

Of course, none of us can guarantee what any young horse will achieve on the racetrack, but I can assure you that these are horses we have carefully selected, believe in and are very excited about.

You can find further details on each horse, including their pedigrees, photographs and ownership information, on our website. Alternatively, you are always welcome to give me a call on 021 925 151. I really enjoy talking to owners and prospective owners about our horses, and I am more than happy to help you find one that might suit you.

You can also email Karyn at [email protected], and she will be delighted to forward you the latest stable updates on any of these horses.

And with Christmas not too far away, here's another thought!

A share in a racehorse makes a fantastic Christmas present for someone special. It is a gift that can bring months and hopefully years of excitement, enjoyment and wonderful memories.

If you would like to surprise a loved one with a share, just let us know. We can keep everything completely discreet until the big day and arrange a lovely welcome pack, including a photograph of their new horse, so you can make the Christmas morning surprise extra special. Imagine the excitement of finding out you have become a racehorse owner on Christmas Day!

Back on the farm, it has been another very busy ten days.

We have been bringing in mobs of ewes and lambs, and all the lambs are now receiving their second drench. That will see them through until shearing, after which they will receive their third drench.

It is always a big job getting through all the stock at this time of year, but it is also a very satisfying time on the farm as we watch everything growing and developing.

The grass is really starting to come away now, and our cattle are absolutely thriving. In an ideal world, I would probably like another inch of grass in the paddocks where we have the ewes and lambs, but they are still doing very well.

With a little more rain forecast and the warmer weather we are enjoying, I don't think it will take very long for the grass to really take off. Spring is such a wonderful time of year on a farm, and there is always something happening.

I also wanted to share something particularly special with you today.

Today is an exciting day for me, because it marks my final trip to Auckland for a medical appointment. I have been given the all clear on everything, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that news.

It has certainly been quite a journey, and there have been times over the past year when life has reminded me just how precious good health really is. I consider myself an incredibly lucky man, and I am delighted to be feeling so well and healthy.

But perhaps the most important thing this experience has reinforced for me is just how fortunate I am to have such wonderful people in my life. The support I have received from our family, my friends and the entire Te Akau team has been quite extraordinary, and I will never forget it.

And most of all, I want to thank my wife Karyn, who has been by my side every step of the way. She has been an enormous source of strength and support throughout this journey, and I am very fortunate ate to have her in my life. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am looking forward to everything that lies ahead.

It's another busy weekend for the team again coming up, with major black type contenders for Mark and Ben in Melbourne too so keep an eye out for our preview of the big Saturday ahead.

The very best of luck to all our owners with runners this weekend at Otaki, Ashburton and Ellerslie, and Victoria.

We will all be working hard to add to this past month of wonderful success for our owners!