Te Akau Monday Update

David writes:

What an incredible few days of racing Te Akau has had  - many 'ups' and of course some 'downs' too.

Karyn and I felt just devastated for the owners of Seirios and Live Wire who lost their lives after a freak accident in track work at Matamata on Saturday morning.  It was a terrible task to have to contact their owners with such tragic news - and it was also especially heart-breaking for our team who loved these two horses and looked after them so lovingly every day.  We are truly grateful that their riders were not seriously hurt and could go home to their loved ones.

The Te Akau roll on the racetrack has however continued - with Te Akau winning eight races in just five days!  It started with Icebomb (above) winning at Waipukurau on Thursday, closely followed by Witchery, who we train for Gerry Harvey, at Counties on Friday. Friday night saw Te Akau Singapore trainer Mark Walker firmly back in the winners' circle with two winners - Cloudburst and Black Quail - Mark maintains his fourth position on a very competitive Trainers' Premiership in Singapore.

Then on Saturday, our Te Akau New Zealand trainer Jamie Richards extended his New Zealand Trainers' Premiership lead with six runners at Riccarton delivering three wins and three runner up placings - Wide Awake (pictured above), Remington (below) and of course the highlight being another stakes' win as Swing Note (main picture) showed huge heart to claim the Listed Spring Classic over 2000m.

Swing Note is an Encosta De Lago mare that I purchased for A$60,000 and gee I have had some success buying progeny by this superstar sire - for example Group 1 winners Princess Coup and Costa Viva who both became Champion 3YO Filly in their year.  Encosta De Lago is now the champion Australasian broodmare sire and it was sad to learn of his death recently, but there is no question his legacy will live on for a very long time.

Swing Note (above) became Te Akau's fourth winner of the Listed Spring Classic following in the footsteps of Viana, Wolfwhistle and also Grazia who claimed the title last year.  Swing Note's win was Jamie's seventh stakes' win this season, with only three months of the season completed.  You can see just what a season the team is having from the Trainers' Premiership table posted below - Jamie leads the Trainers' Premiership with 32 wins (a lead of 11) - he also leads for Group/Listed wins (7) and prize money won (closing in on $900,000).  Most impressive is our strike rate of only 3.75.

Premierships are based on performances during each racing season (August 1st - July 31st). The jockey and trainer with the most wins at the end of the season are the Premiership winners - NZTR.

The win of Swing Note was a tonic for the team after the start to the day at the Matamata track - three of Swing Note's owners also had shares in Live Wire so they did experience a roller-coaster day so we were pleased for them to see this good mare deliver in such tough fashion. Karyn and I get a special thrill out of each of Swing Note's wins because our daughter Julia-Rose bought her fiance Hamish Hayes a share in Swing Note after I bought her as a yearling a few years ago.  So this was Hamish's first black type win as an owner and he said the win was the third best day of his life! He rates only proposing to our daughter, followed by the birth of their daughter Lucia-Rose ahead of Swing Note's stakes' victory!  Jamie Richards also has a share in "Dinah" so well done Hamish and Jamie.

I was also very proud of In A Twinkling (below), a Fastnet Rock gelding I purchased from Karaka, who finished second in the Listed Zacinto Stakes on Saturday.  This followed on from Our Flying Ace, another Karaka yearling I bought, claiming the same position in the Listed Barneswood Farm Stakes at Ashburton last weekend.  Both of these races are traditional lead-up events towards the Group 1 NZ 2000 and 1000 Guineas and are both races Te Akau has won on numerous occasions.

Karyn and I went to Ellerslie on Saturday and I thought that the new stalls/stabling area for race day were immaculate.  A very modern facility that also salutes the Club's history. Everything worked successfully and the re-opened track looked in great shape.  The Auckland Racing Club kindly allowed us to gallop Te Akau Shark (below, on Saturday) between races and I thought it was the work of a horse really looking to go to the next level.  I can't wait for him to race at Riccarton in two weeks during Cup Week in the Group 2 Couplands' Bakeries Mile, for which he is favourite.

When I first became involved in racing, there were some four thoroughbred meeting Saturdays - Easter Saturday for example used to see meetings at Ellerslie, Rotorua, one in the Central Districts and then one in the South Island.  These days we don't have sufficient jockey numbers to run three galloping meetings on one day so for New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing to programme three black type meetings on the one day is pretty goofy in my view.  Especially when there was no galloping meeting on the Sunday.

We have had lots of concern expressed about the well-being of our stable rider Opie Bosson who was stood down after he hurt his foot in the gates at Ellerslie.  The good news is, Opie is bruised but not broken!  While on the subject of riders, wasn't our other stable rider Suppy (Shafiq Rusof - below) in sensational form at Riccarton?  He has such beautiful balance and is so effective through being able to use the whip so skilfully in both hands.

Finally we have had some rain at the farm - 3mls on Friday, followed by 20mls on Saturday night and it looks like there is a bit more to come yet.  This will really help the grass to grow.

Have a good week!