Te Akau Midweek Update

David writes:

Well the good news is that my yearling inspections are well and truly underway - on Monday I visited four farms and saw some very nice young horses.  That was the start to a very busy day as at 4.00pm we had a very special event Karyn and I have been looking forward to.

Karyn and I, together with our Te Akau team, were thrilled to welcome so many of our owners to the Matamata racecourse on Monday for our annual North Island Owners' event.  Early last month we had hosted our South Island edition of this event and it was a roaring success - lots of fun!

The weather played its part on Monday and it was just such an enjoyable occasion with over 100 friends gathered to hear all the Te Akau news, meet the team and also catch up with many of their horses.

It was a real privilege for me to be able to update everyone on the success we are having - with Mark closing in on his first international Trainers' Premiership title and our New Zealand training team of Steve and Jamie leading the way here as well.  I could not be more proud of everyone and it truly is a team effort!

Amongst the highlights of the afternoon was the opportunity to parade four horses - everyone was excited to see our Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas' winner Xtravagant and his "minder" Dan Miller and Kris Shailer was also on hand to parade smart colt Scrutinize.  These two horses are stand-outs on both pedigree but also as individuals, very imposing.

It was great to also see how well both of our Ready to Run horses have settled in - the Savabeel/Round the Clock colt who sold in two hours and the Iffraaj colt who now has only 10% remaining in him.  Both of these colts paraded like true professionals.

After the event finished and the horses were all tucked up for the night, Steve and Lynley, Jamie and Steve O'Neill joined Karyn and me, as well as Robyn our Administration Manager, Julia-Rose our daughter and three other friends for a bite to eat before we headed back to the farm in three cars (!) - arriving home at about 11.00pm.

It was another early 4.45am start on Tuesday to ensure everything on the farm was ticking along nicely before I hit the road again for the second day of yearling inspections and today I really did see some lovely individuals.  Karyn was off to Wellington yesterday afternoon as she has an Arts' Council meeting tomorrow and then on Thursday we will have the "full house" sign up as we welcome five couples to stay.

Friday is another day on the road and of course on Saturday it is $100,000 Group 3 Skycity Hamilton Waikato Cup Day and that is a day I never miss.  Karyn will be working hard as Chairman of the Waikato Racing Club on the day and I will be enjoying the racing and all that the day has to offer.  It is always a thoroughly enjoyable day of racing especially also with the $100,000 Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes that year after year draws one of the best fillies' and mares' fields in the country.

This coming weekend is the last weekend of Singapore racing for the season, with meetings on Friday night and Sunday - and as soon as the racing is over, Mark Walker is on the plane back to New Zealand.  He arrives early next week, with Julia and the children the week after (they are heading firstly to Melbourne to see Julia's mum).

Mark is currently 12 wins clear on the Trainers' Premiership so I think we will have plenty to celebrate when he gets back.  It will be lovely having the Walker family home for their first Kiwi Christmas in five years.

PS - from the "Editor" - Happy Birthday David!