Te Akau Midweek Update
Date: 13 Apr 2022
David writes:
It's that time of the year when seasons are changing, although this warm weather seems to have had an extended period this year. The horses have been loving every minute of it, with the sun on their backs. It's particularly good weather for spelling horses as they thrive under these conditions.
It won't be long until they are rugged up for winter and, as the tracks begin to deteriorate, you will see very few Te Akau horses stepping out on race day. Traditionally winter has been a very quiet time for the stable, but you can expect to see more jumpers from the stable in coming winters, Mark Walker loves training the hurdlers and steeplechasers a well as our flat horses. One who is coming up particularly well is Bak Da Master and I think "Milo" a we know him is in for a very good winter.
Another win at Rotorua over the weekend for Mark Walker and the team took our season tally to 120 wins - if we had some better draws, horses such as Hero Worship and Belle of the Ball would have been decent winning chances but that is literally 'the (bad) luck of the draw'! Well done to the Fortuna team with Soprano Supreme, I horse I bought from Karaka, winning easily.
We are really looking forward to being at Te Rapa on Saturday for the final Group 1 race of the season. In a compact field of eight, we will have last start Group 1 winner Imperatriz and Mai Tai lining up - the former has draw the ace and the latter will jump from gate five for the Wentwood Grange Hawkins' family. We do have some really good chances but again, some will have tricky draws to overcome.
At this time of the year, most farmers (this one included) spend time studying the weather forecasters' predictions. The Te Akau farmer wants rain while the Te Akau racehorse owner and trainer doesn't want too much so we get a good track for Saturday's racing (hard man to please says Karyn)! The farm is greening up each day but some good rain would really set us up for winter.
One of the things that blows me away is just how well the horses that are spelling are doing, as I mentioned earlier. In one paddock we have recent Group 1 winners Belle En Rouge (also NZB Filly of the Year for this season) and Maven Belle and right next door to them is last season's NZB Filly of the Year and Group 1 Oaks' winner Amarelinha and her friend. I inspected them this morning as we fed them breakfast, and they were waiting at their gate, keen and ready to eat up.
Another reason this is one of my favourite times of the year is I love seeing the yearlings we have bought being ridden around the farm as they undergo their early education. The colts and the fillies we bought this year are a truly magnificent bunch.
As the Karaka Sale was put back and was later this year in March, we could not break in all the yearlings at Te Akau Stud so some have gone to trusted and highly experienced horse breakers.
It is interesting that the farm where our Kermadec/Arboreal colt is being educated was so impressed with him that they purchased a 10% share in him. They think he is one of the very best yearlings they have broken in for a very long time.
You should check him out - he is Lot 96 - here:
https://teakauracing.com/product/karaka-yearling-sales-2022-lot-96-kermadec-arboreal-bay-colt/
His sire Kermadec is really on fire, winning major races recently in Australia and Hong Kong. There is 20% available in this colt who I do rate very highly.
A young filly we are also receiving glowing reports on is is Lot 163 our Shamus Award girl out of Chaquinta - that's her below. I am gobsmacked we have shares available still in her. Shamus Award won the iconic Group 1 Cox Plate as a maiden three year old and is on fire as a stallion, winning a Group 1 at Royal Randwick just last Saturday with his filly El Patroness a superb winner of the Group 1 Australian Oaks.
The Champion 3YO of his season, Shamus Award (pictured below) has quite clearly established himself as the dominant son of multiple champion sire Snitzel. He has sired eight individual Australian stakes' winners, including six Group winners (two at Group 1 level) since April last year! This record is only bettered by Written Tycoon amongst all Victorian based sires for this season. Interestingly however, Shamus Award stands atop all leading Victorian based stallions (Written Tycoon included) as the #1 Sire by overall Stakes Winners / Runners.
From siring a Flemington 2YO stakes' quinella, a multiple Group winning sprinter in Swat's That, the undefeated winner of the A$1 million Kosciusko It's Me, not to mention more Group 1 mile dominance by Mr Quickie and Group One Oaks fillies Media Award, Duais and El Patroness, it's been quite a twelve months for Shamus Award!
I read a report in the ANZ Bloodstock News this morning that they are expecting this exciting stallion to go right to the top and this certainly wouldn't surprise me. So, in that case, this filly was outstanding value for money.
Our Shamus Award filly looks an exciting prospect to my eye - definitely the type of individual you would target the NZB Filly of the Year Series with, a real Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas/Oaks' type - that could train on to be a Caulfield Cup mare. Te Akau has won 13 Group 1 Guineas' remember, actually 14 if we include Australia.
She's a very promising filly now with only three shares available. Take a second loo9k at her video - she cost $170,000 +GST and Mark Walker and I were prepared to go to $300,000 to buy her. She was reared at Wentwood Grange and the Hawkins family's record of breeding top horses is well known!
A 10% share is $18,000 +GST
A 5% share $9,000 +GST
A 2.5% share $4,500 +GST
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is "how are your yearlings selling?" ... well the answer is at record speed ... Karyn and I wish we had purchased more.
Since the Ready to Run Sale in November, we have bought 55 horses so overall, there are very few shares now available. BUT remember it is incredible just how good the record is with the 'last to sell' almost every year - Group 1 winners like Avantage, Sword of Osman, Cool Aza Beel and Imperatriz are examples of this very fact.
Well Wednesday morning is now done and dusted and not one drop of rain at Te Akau Stud - plenty at Matamata but none here, how disappointing is that!
Have a great Easter everyone and the very best of luck to all our owners with Easter runners at Te Rapa and Hastings and ...