Te Akau Monday Update

David writes:

What a truly remarkable week Te Akau Racing had in New Zealand last week - we had 10 runners for five winners!

An unbelievable strike rate of 4.17 and it proves that the right horses are being entered for the right race.

This week we have a number of horses that have been spelling returning to the stable, ensuring that we will have a very strong team to race this autumn.

This is the final week I have inspecting yearlings at their studs - today we start at Hallmark Stud at 9.30am and then we move on to Jamieson Park which is owned by James Chapman and managed by Sam Munro.  We will have lunch there before going to Westbury Farm where they have a big draft of yearlings for us to examine.  This completes the day before I head home to Karyn tonight at the farm.

Tomorrow off to Matamata where we will complete all the studs based there.  On Wednesday is time to be on the farm and catch up with everything at Te Akau Stud before we are on the early flight on Wednesday morning bound for Palmerston North. We start there with Fairdale and then Goodwood and finish up at Wellfield Stud with Bill Gleeson and Peter Didhman.

Friday morning it's down to the Wairarapa to Ardsley Stud and Little Avondale and then we will have a nice dinner in Wellington to celebrate the completion of our yearling inspections. We will spend the night before attending the Wellington races at Trentham on Saturday.

We have some very nice horses racing at Trentham. I first went to Trentham in 1971 and have found over the years that it is one of my truly lucky tracks. Te Akau has won some terrific races there including a couple of Group 1  Telegraphs, Group1 Thorndon Mile, the Group 1 Oaks, three Group 2 Wakefield Stakes, the Listed Anniversary - yes most of the major Trentham races.

One of the biggest thrills I have ever had in racing was when Darci Brahma beat Seachange in the 2007 Group 1 Telegraph Handicap.

This year for the Karaka Sales I have seen some truly beautiful yearlings that I am certain will go on to become very good race horses.  I think there is going to be some terrific buying at this sale with the strong NZ dollar presenting unique opportunities for people wanting to invest in race horses.

For anyone who wants to invest in a foundation broodmare this is your year!  There are some truly magnificent, richly bred fillies in the sale this year and this would be a perfect opportunity to invest in a well bred filly for the first time.