Te Akau Monday Update
20 March, 2023
David writes:
It's been quite a week! Saturday week ago, Te Akau recorded four wins on Saturday in New Zealand - the highlight of course was our Karaka 2YO Million winner Tokyo Tycoon cruising home to win the Group 1 Sistema Stakes, continuing our stable's very good record in this juvenile feature. At the other end of the scale, 6YO Challa together with Sans Doute and It's Business Time made up our winning quartet.
Tokyo Tycoon has now gone five from five, unbeaten, and is enjoying the lush grass at Te Akau Stud. A very well deserved break for the horse we know as 'Katsu', we can't wait to see what his three year old season will bring.
Midweek Wednesday was another successful day for our owners, with a stable treble courtesy of Petrucci, Espionage and The Mighty Spar, all saluting the judge.
Then what a great day Saturday was for Te Akau Racing. A six win Saturday, including a Group 1 quinella, with four wins for our New Zealand stable and two for our Singapore stable.
We also recorded eight second placings: six in New Zealand including two at Group 1, one at Group 3 and one at Listed level - and two in Singapore!
We won the first three races at Tauranga with Inca Belle, Merlotti and Aotea Lad. We then ran the quinella with Romancing the Moon and Skew Wiff in the $350,000 Group 1 Levin Classic at Trentham. Last year Te Akau delivered the first four home in this race, headed by Imperatriz - this year we only had two starters and they finished first and second and we could not be more proud of them both - well done to their connections.
Rocky and Trident were our Singapore winners, both for the Fortuna team. Congratulations to Donna and Pete who are doing such a good job for us in Singapore.
The reason these days are so special is because it is just wonderful to see the thrill our owners receive - that's what we all live and breathe for. It's also just wonderful because our team of staff works so very hard, and seeing their joy at this success means such a lot to Karyn and me. These results come through their dedication, passion and commitment to doing everything the very best they can for each one of our horses.
Our team that went to Trentham got home to Matamata at 1.30am on Sunday morning. They then waited for the float to arrive at 2am, put the horses in their boxes and ensured they were happy and settled for the night. Then they were back at work at 6am to feed the horses their breakfast and muck their boxes out.
I am so proud of the dedication that our team has and its so rewarding to see all this hard work paying off. Well done team - I must be the proudest team leader in the world!
On Saturday, Mark Walker recorded his 149th win for the season. This tally includes 29 Group/Listed wins and we have won almost $7 million in prize money for our owners in New Zealand alone.
NEW ZEALAND TRAINERS' PREMIERSHIP as at 20.3.23
| Wins | 2nds | 3rds | Stakes | Starts | G & L | SR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Walker | 149 | 129 | 96 | $6,965,177 | 910 | 29 | 6.11 |
| 2 | Stephen Marsh | 70 | 86 | 67 | $2,628,045 | 641 | 4 | 9.16 |
| 3 | Robbie Patterson | 34 | 18 | 18 | $609,900 | 138 | 0 | 4.06 |
| 4 | Andrew Forsman | 31 | 34 | 27 | $1,619,767 | 240 | 6 | 7.74 |
| 5 | Lisa Latta | 31 | 32 | 39 | $1,699,005 | 331 | 8 | 10.68 |
| 6 | Tony Pike | 31 | 26 | 31 | $968,195 | 238 | 2 | 7.68 |
| 7 | Kevin Myers | 29 | 27 | 25 | $1,152,325 | 221 | 3 | 7.62 |
| 8 | Roger James & Robert Wellwood | 28 | 16 | 17 | $1,662,975 | 167 | 5 | 5.96 |
| 9 | Andrew Carston | 24 | 29 | 30 | $550,200 | 325 | 0 | 13.54 |
| 10 | Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott | 23 | 28 | 22 | $969,420 | 212 | 2 | 9.22 |
There's no time to rest on the excitement of the weekend however as tomorrow (Tuesday) it's a big day of trials coming up at Taupo where we have some pretty exciting two year olds set to trial.
Then of course it is a huge weekend ahead with Imperatriz lining up in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night. That's her below this morning out on the Moonee Valley track with Hunter Durrant. Then on Saturday at Flemington, Campionessa takes her place in the Group 1 Australian Cup. Our stable rider Opie Bosson crosses the Tasman to ride them both.
What a thrill it was for the owners of Imperatriz and all of us at Te Akau to see Imperatriz mentioned in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings!
Imperatriz is undefeated in her three starts in New Zealand this year, winning the Gr.1 Railway (1200m), Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m) and Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) prior to her narrow defeat in the Gr.1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) in Sydney three weekends ago.
Her rating of 117 ranked her as the 18th best racehorse in the world alongside New Zealand-breds I Wish I Win and Mo'unga.
On Friday night, we had 16mls of rain at Te Akau, with a little more on Saturday morning. The livestock have never seen grass in March like it. The clover has to be seen to be believed.
This week we sold 434 lambs that killed out at 17kg, and two units of cattle (80 steers) averaging 308kgs each. We are only sending one unit this week.
We have been thinking a lot about our fellow Kiwis grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising appeal - we were very proud to be able to transfer almost $44,000 to the New Zealand Red Cross for its relief work.
Te Akau, together with our owners, friends and supporters, have raised almost $100,000 for our community - our Te Akau Owners' Soiree last year raising $53,000 for EquiPotential. It's so important to do what we can, where we can, to improve the lives and opportunities of others. Thank you to everyone who has supported our endeavours.
The yearling I am going to highlight today is a Merchant Navy filly out of In the Vanguard, making her a half sister to Sword of State who is now standing at stud at Cambridge Stud. Sword of State was a gun two year old, winning the Group 1 Sistema Stakes and subsequently being named Champion 2YO of his season - he also trained on to be a Group winner, and Group placed in Australia, at three before he went to stud.
I bought this filly for $A120,000 at Magic Millions and she is entered for the A$3 million 2YO old race and A$3 million 3YO old race. We have every intention of taking her back to Australia as she looks the type who is ideally suited to this challenge.
Check her out here - https://teakauracing.com/product/magic-millions-gold-coast-yearling-sale-lot-988-merchant-navyaus-in-the-vanguard-aus-bay-filly/
We have given her the nickname "Billie" after one of the first women in the US to be the Commander of a major naval vessel! She has a beautiful pedigree and has done very well since the sale. She free and fluid moving, with incredible balance and very light on her feet. She has muscled up in fine fashion and will develop into a grouse individual. Contact [email protected] to secure your share in this fleet-footed filly bred by Sir Owen Glenn.