Te Akau Monday Update

David writes:

It is now a week since Karyn and I left New Zealand for our annual holiday and we have been having a wonderful time.  It is always special to spend time with family - and we are loving every minute of it.  Lots of laughter and catching up ...

Although we may be on holiday, life at Te Akau Racing and Te Akau Stud keeps everyone busy with so many exciting things happening - even though it is a bleak and cold winter, the worst time of the year at home for everyone.

We were so delighted to hear the news last week that Gingernuts is a finalist for Champion 3YO of the Year and Champion Stayer of the Year awards.  He is a horse I bought for $42,500 at the Ready to Run Sale and this season he won the $1 million Group 1 NZ Derby and A$600,000 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas - and of course no-one will ever forget his inspirational last to first win in the Group 2 Avondale Guineas.

Karaka Million and Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes' winner Melody Belle, who I bought for $57,500, also went on to win the Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes in Brisbane, and is one of three finalists in the Champion 2YO of the Year category.  Joining her as a finalist is our Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes' winner Gold Fever who was also Group 1 and Group 3 placed in the past season - she was a A$110,000 purchase by me from the January Magic Million's Sale last year.

By being named as a finalist, means that these horses are also automatically in contention for the overall prize - Champion Horse of the Year.

So we are very proud indeed and expect to have a big team at the awards on 10 September to cheer on our finalists - good luck to the connections of all three of our horses - we could not be more proud of them and delighted for you.

Last month Stephen and Lynley Autridge headed to the UK for a holiday combined with Lynley's son Jason's wedding to Katy Flowers.  Jason of course is our Equine Manager at Te Akau Stud and he and the farm team under Luke Copeland also have plenty going on as spelling horses head back to the stable etc.  Last week our co-trainer Jamie Richards flew off to London to begin his break.

Our New Zealand stable may be quiet race-wise but it is a hive of activity behind the scenes.  We have such a great team of talented people who are dedicated to our horses and everyone is fired up and raring to go for the new season.  We will have about 40 or so horses heading to Te Teko to the first set of trials for the new season on the first Tuesday in August - and then Spring racing will be upon us before you know it.

We are proud that our New Zealand stable looks very likely to finish the season on 31 July as the leading stable for prize money won in New Zealand - a great result for our owners.

Speaking of prize money - we all know what fantastic stakes are available in Singapore and Mark Walker, our trainer there, is continuing to dominate the Trainers' Premiership.  Mark is now 18 wins clear of the second placed trainer and closing in on 60 wins for the season.

This is a remarkable result as the season is only half way through.  Now in its seventh month and already the $3 million in prize money mark is close at hand.  Mark, Gus and Karen and Robbie have out horses flying at Kranji and barely a weekend passes without a win, or two, or three by Te Akau Singapore!

This weekend just past was no different - on Friday night there were two excellent results for Mark and the team.

Firstly the win by Distinctive Darci, fresh up and breaking the Class record, was a sight to behold.  This son of Darci Brahma (who I also bought and Mark trained to win five Group 1 races as well as the Champion 2YO, Champion 3YO and Champion Sprinter/Miler titles) cost $100,000 and is raced by one of our very good Singapore clients.  He was very impressive - almost breaking the track record too - and looks to have an exciting new preparation ahead of him.

Distinctive Darci was purchased by me from the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud - I remember him well as a strong yearling and he has developed into a very good racehorse.

At the time of purchase, I said - 'he's a really strong, natural type of running colt that we identified in our first inspections at Curraghmore Stud - he stood out. He is bred by Greg Tomlinson at Nearco Stud, and Greg also bred the half-brother Kuro (Denman) who is really good-looking horse that is performing exceptionally well in Australia'.

Kuro has now won five stakes' races and finished third in the VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) at Flemington, second in the Galaxy (Gr. 1, 1100m) at Rosehill, third in the QTC Cup (Gr. 2, 1400m) at Doomben, and was runner up in the Expressway Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) at Randwick, accumulating $690,000 in prize money.

Distinctive Darci is another outstanding example of the value you can get when buying a son of this sire.  He received his early education at the Te Akau stables in Matamata, and it soon became apparent that his ability was above average.

As a two-year-old, in his first trial, he began well to lead, displaying plenty of drive and extension when quickening clear at the 300m to record a smart win by four lengths.  For educational purposes, he was ridden in behind a couple of horses in his second trial. Steadied into fourth with cover and presented on straightening, he worked home widest in a line of five across the track to dead-heat for second.  With the education and trial experience completed, he departed soon after to Singapore and has flourished under Mark's guidance.

The other important result from Kranji on Friday night was celebrating Burgundy's (Redoute's Choice) first international stakes placing when two-year-old filly Bringer of War (ex. Eclectic Heights, by Keeper) finished third in the $325,000 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (Gr. 2, 1200m) on the turf. This filly was bred by Karyn and me and is trained by Mark - she's a very talented filly, already a winner in Singapore, and one we have high hopes for.

In June, Bringer of War became the first international winner for her leading first season sire Burgundy, after Hard Merchandize, a gelding from a mare I also bought in Pride and Passion (Encosta De Lago), had provided his first stakes' winner in the Castletown Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Wanganui.

I really think that Burgundy is going places as a stallion. His first season crop sold up to $145,000 and the manner in which his young horses have been winning, the willingness and athleticism they're showing, has been tremendous.  I've been telling everybody that Burgundy is going to be a really good sire and that Bringer of War was his fourth two-year-old winner, already, from his first crop.

We couldn't quite get Burgundy to the races as a two-year-old, but he won his first three starts as an early three-year-old, and these are the sort of horses he's leaving - late two-year-olds, to perform early at three, and the types of horses that people want.

I purchased Burgundy as a yearling for $1.3 million at the 2010 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, from the draft of Pencarrow Stud, for the Te Akau 2010 Breeding Syndicate, and following five stakes' wins he took up resident stallion duties in 2014 at Cambridge Stud. He is a three-quarter brother to Darci Brahma (Danehill), also purchased by me as a yearling for $1.1 million.

But back to Bringer of War - she was educated by Stephen and Jamie and the team at Matamata, and transferred to Mark following a smart solitary trial win last September at Cambridge. In the fastest (39.6) of two 635-metre heats for two-year-olds, she showed to be a sure-footed youngster. Shooting through to lead soon after the start, quickening clear in the straight and allowed to ease near the line for a one and three-quarter length win.

I am sure you will hear plenty more about this daughter of Burgundy!

The weekend was capped off in Singapore last night when two horses we train for Mr Lim were successful - Lim's Reform and Lim's Regard - the latter also educated by the Te Akau New Zealand team before heading to Singapore.  There were some other nice performances too by horses such as Discretely Red who was on debut in Singapore for his team of Te Akau New Zealand owners.  Despite needing further, he stepped out for the first time with a lovely effort for third.  I bought him for only $30,000 from the Premier Sale at Karaka in 2015.

Well done to Mark Walker and the crew on another winning treble this weekend - an 18-win margin on the Premiership is quite an achievement.