Te Akau Monday Update

David writes:

I have just had a great weekend in the Wairarapa/Wellington area - it was beautiful weather.  On Friday morning I flew to Wellington first thing with Joe Walls and Jamie Richards and drove from Wellington over the Rimutakas to the Wairarapa where our first stop was Ardsley Stud, owned and operated by Jim Wallace.  Jim had some nice types of yearlings and we enjoyed inspecting them.

After that we headed to Little Avondale Stud where Sam and Catriona have probably the best draft for many years.  This draft included some outstanding Darci Brahma colts.  We then travelled back to Wellington and met up with some friends for a drink before going out and enjoying a lovely evening st Shed 5 - a top class restaurant on the waterfront in Wellington.

It was a great day's racing at Trentham and the track was in beautiful condition.  I must give credit to the Wellington Racing Club for the way that it has turned its track around in 12 months.  Saturday's track gave every horse a chance and what is more important is the fact that horses that raced at Wellington on Saturday won't jar up or go shin sore - they will be able to race again in the next month which is so important at this time of the year.

I thought there was a good crowd, the section of the stand that I was in was full and it was a great atmosphere with some very good racing.  Having two Group 1 races on the same day doesn't happen very often in New Zealand and it was certainly a day enjoyed by all, including the boil-over result in the two Group 1's!

After the races we went to the Boulcott Street Bistro and on the next table there were the All Blacks Ma Nonu (Karyn is his biggest fan I think so she was disappointed she couldn't be there) and Julian Savea.  Ma of course is a great racing man and he told me he watches Karyn's show The First call on a Saturday morning whenever he can and he had a great day on the punt.

I am frequently asked at the races what sort of season we are having and my reply is: - quite outstanding when you consider that we are splitting our horses into two countries for the fourth season.

I am absolutely delighted with the statistics that Jason Bridgman and Mark Walker are producing.  We are now into our fourth season with Mark leading our Singapore stable and with Jason in the helm in New Zealand.

In the time we have won 446 races - in New Zealand alone Jason has won 25 black type races.  In his first three seasons at Te Akau he has trained two NZB Fillies of the Year, he has won the Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas twice plus the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas with Rock 'n' Pop.  He has two horses that that he has produced now standing at stud and that duo has just finished serving their second book of mares.

These statistics are really hard to beat.

Two seasons ago in Singapore, Mark had 73 winners and 92 runners up - and finished second on the Trainers' Premiership.  Last season he recorded 48 wins and 56 seconds.

Due to our two stables, we are not going to have the huge number of wins in New Zealand that we used to as we send so many of our good horses to Singapore.  For example the most impressive 2yo I saw last season was Jimmy Rea.  This Kevin Hickman (of Silent Achiever fame who was last season's Champion Breeder) bred and owned horses was sent to Singapore to race with Te Akau.  I believe that he will be in the Guineas and Derby there and he is already a Singapore winner, scoring most impressively two weeks ago.

So yes I am thrilled with the performance of Jason in New Zealand and Mark in Singapore.  In New Zealand we have had just an average start to the season mainly due a cough that has been going around all the Matamata stables which has proved to get rid of but we are on top of that now and we have a lovely team to race in the autumn.

Also I felt that this year that we have at no stage had that "little bird on our shoulder", finishing second in both the Group 1 NZ 2000 and 1000 Guineas as well as the Group 2 Great Northern Guineas.  While our horses in those races had every chance, some years you just win those races and not run second and of course look back and say you have had a terrific season.

Last night I spent the evening going through the Karaka Premier catalogue  - for a long time now I have concentrated on the Premier Sale at Karaka.  Looking through the line-up, I only have a handful of horses left to see - one at Ainsley Downs, four at Ascot Farm, two at Beltana, three at Esker Lodge, two at fairdale, three from Goodwood and one from Highden Park, four from Prima Park and eight from Wellfield Lodge and then all 400 plus horses entered will have been inspected.

It is well known that we concentrate on the premier sale as that is where by far the most winners come from. The reason for this is that all studs want their horses in the premier sale so New Zealand Bloodstock does the rounds, inspecting all the yearlings and looking at the pedigrees - then the best pedigrees that are also good types go into the premier sale.  It is interesting sitting and watching that sale as every second or third horse has a significant pedigree update.  At the select sale perhaps one in 50 and at the festival sale perhaps two a day.

You also keep going back to the well where you have had success and I have bought two Horses of the Year (King's Chapel and War Affair for $35,000 and $70,000 respectively) at Karaka plus I would imagine over 100 stakes' winners.

For example I have bought four Champion 2YOs from Karaka - Maroffity (costing $46,000), Darci Brahma ($1.1 million), Warhorse ($140,000) and War Affair ($70,000).  All these champion horses came from the premier sale.

A week today the premier sale starts at Karaka and I am predicting that it will be a buyers' market so if there ever was a year when you want to be in and buy a nice filly or have a share in a colt - then please call me!  The quality is first class but I think for a number of reasons the sale will battle to exceed last year and the sale will favour buyers', as I say, for sure - bring it on!

One further thing that has been frustrating me is lack of communication that the New Zealand Racing Board has with hotels throughout New Zealand.  The James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel where everybody from racing seems to stay in Wellington simply does not have Trackside any more.  So I asked to speak to the manager of the hotel and asked him why they had three sports channel and no Trackside - he had had no communication from the TAB/NZRB when they changed the platforms for the channels so they were simply removed/dropped off.

It's just not good enough - the TAB/NZRM needs to get on the front foot and only allow employees of theirs to stay in a hotel that broadcasts Trackside.  The Langham Hotel in Auckland, which I regard as best in that city, now has both Trackside channels due to Karyn and I pestering them. So everybody should either ask before you reserve a room or go and speak to manager and say they won't stay again unless the establishment has Trackside - it is easy for them to put it on.

Today Mark Walker arrives in New Zealand and we are really looking forward to him staying for two weeks. Our youngest daughter Julia Rose is picking him up from Auckland airport and bringing him down to the farm.

I hope you all have a great week - and I can't wait until the sales!