David writes:

 

I must be one of the hardest people in the world to keep happy!

I wanted rain last week for the farm but not for the races. It’s just such a frustrating time of the year – we have many horses ready to start but with all this rain (72mls at Te Akau) it just puts everything back at least a week. However the last week in September is the same every year – soft and heavy tracks.

What a thrill it was for the first of Karyn’s two 2023 ladies' partnerships fillies to win on debut on Saturday at Tauranga. About Last Night is a 2YO filly is by Capitalist out of Kissmelikearocksta (hence her subtle name - Ed) and we purchased her for $75,000 at Karaka. It is always a thrill to win at a horse's first start and there were about 15 ladies on course with their partners and families to enjoy the victory!

 

 

Well done to Mark, Sam and all the team for educating her so well. She is out of a Fastnet Rock mare who is out of Encosta De Lago mare and was sent out hot favourite (there's Karyn below with two of hers on course). Two of the best broodmare sires in the world! This is the second filly that we have qualified for the Karaka Million which (fingers crossed) will be run at Ellerslie in January. What an exciting night it will be! I am already counting down the days.

 

 

Speaking of days ... it was a big 24 hours for the ladies as on Friday afternoon, a good number from both syndicates descended on Matamata to meet their fillies in person, tour the stables, hear from trainer Mark Walker and then enjoy some sharing bubbles, canapés and other treats together.  It was really a fun day everyone tells me (photo below is last year's ladies' filly, the stakes' placed She Turns Heads who was sixth in the Karaka Million - not sure what she thinks of Skyler Walker's pony Poppy)!!

 

 

The second ladies' partnership is the proud owner of an Ocean Park filly called Ocean Miss and she is back in the stable now for her new prep.  Her dam Runway is a Pins mare, and is a half sister to Gingernuts and I purchased her at Karaka for $60,000.

What a start to the season Mark & Sam have had!  Just look at the top five trainers' results and that statistics show you how wonderfully the team has kicked off the 2023/24 season for our owners.

Saturday's winning double at Tauranga with About last Night and Puketiro (who we are privileged to train for Christopher Grace QSM and Susanna and friends) also saw the stable once again become the first in the country to hit the $1 million in stakes.

The strike rate tells you the story as it shows just how well the team is placing our horses - a winner for every 3.21 horses to the races. Everyone at Te Akau is making such a huge effort, we are just so proud of you all - in New Zealand, Australia and in Singapore.

 

NZ TRAINERS' PREMIERSHIP as at 25.9.23

 

		Wins	2nds	3rds	Stakes	Starts	G & L	SR
1	Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson	34	12	16	$1,030,465	109	4	3.21
2	Stephen Marsh	14	13	6	$351,555	86	0	6.14
3	Kevin Myers	12	14	11	$438,310	104	0	8.67
4	Andrew Carston	10	9	9	$238,600	89	0	8.9
5	Lisa Latta	9	9	2	$315,490	63	2	7

 

I mentioned that we had seen a deluge of rain this week - well, the opposite of frustration is that with all this rain, the grass at Te Akau Stud has just taken off and our focus is just controlling the grass now! So it's been terrific for the farm.  We only have three more paddocks of lambs left to dock and we are buying yearling steers most days. Only four more weeks until we start selling our prime steers.

 

 

Our yearlings this year have been as popular as ever before.  There is no doubt that the success of our team heightens interest for new owners, and gives great confidence to existing ownership family.

We now only have a very small share available in just two young horses - one from the Magic Millions' sale and one from Karaka.

The colt from Karaka is by Alabama Express out of Miss Madonna and is now named Discretion Rules. I bought him from the Book 1 sale for $165,000.

A strong, athletic colt, he's from the family of our Champion 2YO of the Year and Group 1 winner Sword of State who now stands at Cambridge Stud. He's done everything very well thus far and will be trialling soon - he was down to trial at Te Rapa on Tuesday but with the change of venue to the Cambridge synthetic, we have opted to trial him at Matamata in early October.

 

A 10% share is $17,500 +GST

A 5% share is $8,750 +GST

A 2.5% share is $4,375 +GST

 

The other horse I bought from the Magic Million sale for $90,000. This is a colt by Exceedance out of Legal Eagle now called Legally Binding.

This is a family full of Group 1 winners such as Dreamy, Miss Margaret and Celebrity Queen and many prolific winners too - these close relations all won multiple time and are all Group/Listed winners:

New Spice (9); Dances on Stars (9); Celebrity Miss (8); Got Unders (8); Celebrity Queen (7); Confront (7) and many others.

 

 

 

A 10% share is approx. NZ$11,300 +GST

A 5% share is approx. NZ$5,650 +GST

A 2.5% share is approx. NZ$2,825 +GST

 

You can see the full pedigrees of both these fine young horses on our website.

If you are interested, please email Karyn [email protected] for more info' or call me anytime on +64 21 925 151. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have, and would love you to join the tangerine team!

It's a busy week ahead for the team - in New Zealand we have a large contingent heading to the re-located Te Rapa trials, now at Cambridge on Tuesday.  The weekend ahead will be a very exciting one too as it is Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Plate and Group 2 Hawkes' Bay Guineas' day at Hastings on Saturday. The evening before, Imperatriz chases further Group 1 honours at Moonee Valley on Friday night with new stablemate, the unbeaten Zourion stepping out for Cambridge Stud's Jo and Brendan Lindsay.

There's a lot to look forward to so ...

 

GO THE TANGERINE!

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