Te Akau Midweek Update

David writes:

With the autumn firmly upon us and winter just around the corner, the focus at Te Akau Racing is educating the yearlings that we purchased at the sale.  This is an incredibly exciting time and I can report that in my opinion, we have purchased a vintage crop of yearlings. 

Some will make two year olds but lots of colts and fillies will make Group 1 1000 and 2000 Guineas and then train on to be Derby and Oaks' contenders.  

Melody Belle is a classic example of the type of horse that Te Akau aims to purchase at the sales. She was a top two year old, won black type at three years old, improved to be a great four year old and will, in my opinion, have her best year next season. 

She is in a beautiful 12 acre paddock spelling with Sword of Osman and Te Akau Shark.  What a season those three horses have had.  Melody Belle with five Group 1's and a Group 2, Te Akau Shark unbeaten winning a Group 2 and a Group 3 event and Sword of Osman who won a Group 2. 

The yearlings have sold like never before and we only have shares now available in four yearlings. 

The amazing thing is, and this happens every year, that the last to sell are often some of the best.  I have no idea the reason for this but after seeing these four this morning I bet the same happens this year. 

We have two colts and two fillies and I am going to update these starting today with:

Lot 78  Savabeel/High Fashion filly

When New Zealand Bloodstock Chairman Joe Walls and I inspect each yearling we rate them A or B+ or B.  This filly was one of only four A's in the sale in both our views. Last year we only gave one A and that was Probabeel.  

This filly - who we have nicknamed "Chanel" - has a beautiful pedigree being out of the Group 3 winning mare High Fashion. Both the Group 3 Desert Gold and Group 3 Lowland Stakes were among her wins. 

Her mother High Fashion is by O'Reilly and thus we have the magic Savabeel over O'Reilly cross - but even more importantly she is out of a stakes' performed Pins' mare who is out of a Sound Reason mare.  An added boost to this filly is she has really good residual value. 

So if you want to be involved in a beautiful Savabeel filly with a top pedigree give me a call on 021 925 151 - I can personally really recommend this beauty of a filly.  A 5% share in her will cost $16,390 plus GST.

In news from the farm we have had 18 mls of rain here on Monday.  Te Akau missed quite a bit of it but it is better than nothing and has really freshened all the horses' paddocks. 

We put a very high-powered fertiliser on last week called DAP and we are putting it on at 250kg to the hectare. Last week we did all the paddocks by truck and today the plane has been doing the hills.  We are very heavily stocked at present which is great because the price of beef and lamb is about to go through the roof. 

I hope to see you all at Te Rapa on Saturday.  The Cambridge Jockey Club has a great day of racing for us. 

Have a great week and GO THE TANGERINE!

P.S.  Something interesting to think about.  About 4kms up our road towards Ruakiwi there is a forest that is being milled.  The trucks are working 24 hours a day taking trees out. 

Why is it then that the people working on the Auckland motorway only work about five days of the last 10.  Something  like this that affects so many people, that surely the government should demand that the team works seven days a week, 24 hours a day.  Isn't that why are paying petrol tax to fund this?  Only my opinion!! 

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