Te Akau Monday Update
Date: 13 Dec 2021
David writes:
What a thrill it was to win a Group 3 on Saturday with Belle En Rouge, a filly that Karyn and I bred.
She is a 3YO filly by Burgundy, out of Cavendish Belle and she just keeps going from strength to strength. Burgundy is a sire that needs very little introduction - his progeny are winners over many distances including 800m to 1600m and this year he sired the winner of the New Zealand Cup, which is raced over 3200m.
Burgundy was of course the fastest horse that Te Akau has ever trained. He might not have won a Group 1 but he was the fastest!! He could do things in track work that no other horse we've had could do. It is such a shame that this industry lost this promising young stallion in 2019.
Two years ago, Karyn told me that she had successfully sold all the horses from the sales and still had several owners who were still wanting to invest with us. I chose a couple of the best home-breds that we had and she syndicated them - Belle En Rouge being one of them.
It really is great to see the thrill that these owners are getting racing this exciting filly. From her third placing in the Group 3 Soliloquy Stakes to stablemate Imperatriz, to her brave third in the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas, to then going on to take out a Group 3 (literally on her way home to the farm), this filly has a very promising future ahead of her.
A special thank you to Lydia Truesdale and our team in the South Island who have done such a great job both into Guineas' day and since, with the filly we know as "Jane" staying in the south. They had her primed and ready to cope with a trip from Christchurch to racing and winning 48 hours later. It also says a fair bit about this filly's constitution too!
I was also so proud of our apprentice jockey Joe Kamaruddin as his ride on Belle En Rouge was his first stakes' win. He has been working incredibly hard, riding very well and I know how much of thrill this victory is for him. Well done Joe and we all know why everyone calls you "smiling Joe"!
It was great to be back on course at Te Rapa again, especially for Waikato Cup day on Saturday. Congratulations to Butch Castles and John Elstob for such a fantastic day - gee they sure do run a good club! They have first class organisational skills, and the food in the lounges was just simply outstanding. The track was in fantastic order considering the racing it has had, what an asset Bart Cowan is, and all horses had their opportunity.
One of the other highlights for me on Saturday came with another filly - Taviarma lined up in the Group 2 Wakefield Stakes, having her very first start. Although she ran second, this was her debut, and to finish second in a Group race is a super effort. I was just thrilled for her owners as she has already now earned valuable black type. This Tavistock filly is out of a Darci Brahma mare, and Darci Brahma already has a good reputation as a broodmare sire. This filly is going to be a really good chance in the Karaka 2YO Million for sure.
It was also exciting to see Prise De Fer finish in the thick of things in yet another Group 1, gosh he is the most honest horse who gives his all. He missed the start yet still ran a super race to finish second in the Group 1 Captain Cook Stakes.
Showing his dedication to the sport, it was good to see Opie Bosson riding at 56kg. He could've been riding at 55.5kg but 56kg was a great achievement considering he hadn't been riding for three weeks. He really has his weight under control. Well done Opie - we are all very proud of you (pictured below riding Bright Blue Sky to her debut won at stakes' level, carrying 54.5kgs).
Turning to the farm - last week we made, 680 bales of baleage and the paddocks have all been chewed out. We are getting beautiful rain today, we have had about 40mls already, and it looks like there is more to come. This is perfect weather as we crack into summer!
We also recently sold some cull ewes that made $193 each which is just incredible considering that when I first started farming (not that long ago!) we actually had to pay the meat processors to take the ewes!! This morning, Alan Radford who has been my livestock agent for many, many years drafted 415 lambs that will kill out at over 17kg and we are sending three units of steers this week.
The price is still really good and this rain plays a huge role with the meat processors. At the moment, there is a big problem with all freezing works in New Zealand, as they can't get the chiller containers back from abroad to export our meat. They are very restricted on how many cattle can be processed which has been very frustrating. However this rain will really help and will make farmers realise that if they keep their stock, they are putting on an extra two kilos a day in this weather, so it's a win-win situation.
Tomorrow, I are off to Matamata where New Zealand Bloodstock is presenting Amarelinha with her NZB Filly of the Year trophy. This award comes with a $30,000 bonus to the owners which is brilliant. New Zealand Bloodstock really does an incredible job supporting this industry.
Best of luck to all our owners who have runners this week! It is only two weeks until the Boxing Day Races, one of the greatest racing days of the year and I am really looking forward to our return to Ellerslie.