Te Akau Midweek Update

David writes:

The last week has been full on with winners coming thick and fast!

Our good week started on Wednesday at Avondale with two of our three Te Akau runners winning - Echezeaux and Beaumarchais.  Then on to Friday and it was the turn of Paradise Rock and on Saturday, our Stratum 2YO Summer Monsoon won second up in stylish fashion at Te Rapa.  Then on Sunday in New Zealand we were thrilled to cheer King Kane home for Brendon McCullum and his Vermair team.

To cap off the winning five days Storm Trooper, a Tavistock gelding I bought from the Karaka Select Sale for $70,000, won in Singapore for Mark Walker - taking the 5YO's career prizemoney to $191,000 from his 22 starts (four wins and eight placings).

While we did not win a race at Riccarton, two of our "lads" ran super placings in the major races of the day - Heroic Valour and Imperium. Both went terrific races for third in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas and Listed Metropolitan Trophy Hcp.  Heroic Valour is now en route back to Te Akau Stud for a well-deserved break - he has had a super preparation thus far this season with a win at Listed level fresh up, followed by a third placing in the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas.  He was then runner-up in the Listed Barneswood Stakes and of course third in the 2000 Guineas.  In his career, racing against the top horses of his age group, he has never finished further back than third.

Imperium meantime is continuing to flourish in the South and he will take up his place in the Group 3 New Zealand Cup at Riccarton on Cup Day this Saturday.  His third placings gave him automatic entry to the weekend feature and he will carry just 53kgs, with Mark du Plessis engaged to ride.

On Saturday we will also see the second start for our Pierro colt Seirios in the Listed Welcome Stakes, a race Te Akau has won on many previous occasions, most recently in 2015 with Sassy 'N' Smart.  Obviously 2YO racing can be very unpredictable with plenty of experience to come for these youngsters but we have been happy with our colt's progress and his work this week.  The field this year is one of the strongest for some time which is great for the Club.

Turning the clock back a fraction to the start of the weekend and on Friday night Karyn and I hosted our South Island Owners' cocktail party in Christchurch.  We were also delighted to welcome a number of Northern visitors who had stable runners the next day.  It was a huge success and we really enjoyed catching up with everyone - long-term and new owners.  Our team also joined us - Jamie Richards, Kris and Nicole Shailer, Dan Miller, Teina Walters, Julia-Rose Ellis and Brad Taylor - it was a really fun evening.

On Sunday we flew back to Auckland and had a long lunch at Soul Bar for Karyn's birthday - lots of laughter and a really special occasion.  it wasn't too late though as Karyn had to film Weigh In the next morning!

Although the weather so far this week has been very miserable, with gale force winds, the grass on the farm is really taking off and the problem now is actually 'controlling' the grass growth!  We are buying in cattle yearlings just about every day and this week we are selling a unit of ox each day.

My attention now turns to the READY TO RUN SALE (RTR) at Karaka this month.  I have been studying the catalogue and have seen some stunning horses that are going to be sold next week - and that I intend to buy!  Last year I bought two horses from this sale - Savabeel colt Hall of Fame (who won the Listed Zacinto Stakes just two starts ago) and Iffraaj gelding Gingernuts, who likewise was a smart two year old winner.  He is now back in the stable getting ready for his new prep.  Flying Fulton was also purchased by me out of this sale - he won $1.35 million from his 13 wins and 21 placings and as well as that, he was crowned Singapore Champion Polytrack Horse of the Year.

As this year's RTR catalogue is larger in numbers this year, I expect there to be some very good buying.  We already have a good number of owners (new and existing) registered on our priority list for news on RTR shares - so if you want to be on that list and hear the options 'as they happen' - email Karyn now - [email protected] and please let us know if you would like to be part of our RTR team.  If you would like to come to the sale with us, you will be made very welcome.

Have a great week! - and don't get TOO distracted by the US Presidential election!