Te Akau Saturday Update
Date: 20 Nov 2021
David writes:
What a week it has been!
Thursday marked the end of the annual NZB Ready to Run Sale, and Team Te Akau purchased 11 strapping yearlings across the two days.
What a line up we have - we purchased four fillies, four geldings and three colts from nine different vendors. When you operate a stable like Te Akau, you have no idea how exciting it is to be able to purchase such quality horses from this sale!
There are a number of reasons why I thoroughly enjoy buying from the Ready to Run sale. Firstly, it enables our team to work with some of the best horses New Zealand has bred. These are good, sound and correct horses that have already been broken in and experienced the track through the breeze ups.
Secondly, we are able to provide the best quality horses for our owners. That feeling of owning the next Te Akau Shark, Gingernuts, Hall of Fame or Brando is something that you cannot beat.
And thirdly, it is such a great thrill to see Jamie Richards and Mark Walker be given the opportunity to use their incredible training talents on these quality horses. It must be so exciting to have these types of horses in the stable to train!
I take my hat off to the team at New Zealand Bloodstock for its versatility and innovation. We are living in such unprecedented times, where one week can be completely turned upside down without warning, and unfortunately, we have seen this happen with the Ready to Run Sale.
Due to the COVID-19 border restrictions, the auction was moved to the Te Rapa Racecourse and was held virtually - at new a venue, with no horses and limited attendees.
With no international buyers on the ground for the second year in a row, and buyers limited to attend physically, I believe what the team at NZB has done to make this work is just incredible. The results of the sale speak for themselves, and the team needs to be acknowledged for its initiative in making this sale such a great success, despite all the circumstances that could have prevented it from happening.
In an ever-changing environment, NZB is a leader within our industry, and that in itself needs to be celebrated.
I would also like to thank my friends and team at Te Akau Racing who helped me at the sales. I am so appreciative of them, as everyone went out of their way to ensure we had all the information that we needed to have a successful sale. It was certainly a new and unusual experience for me, especially not having the horses onsite and parading them before going into the auction ring. However I had seen the horses through private inspections leading up to the sale. All in all, it was just as successful and for that, I am thankful for the support of my team around me.
I know we say this every year, but I cannot stress it enough - do not hesitate with contacting us about purchasing shares. All it takes is an email or a quick no-obligation phone call, but the longer you wait, I can almost guarantee you will miss out. It hasn't been 48 hours since the sale finished and two of our horses are already fully sold.
Contact either myself - 07 825 4701 or email Karyn - [email protected] - for more information on any of the two year olds we have purchased. You can also check out our website - www.teakauracing.com - and visit 'Yearlings and Shares'. Here you will find a thorough description on each horse, and what percentage is still available. Contact us now to save yourself the disappointment of missing out.
This morning I sold a share to a new owner who thought it would make a great Christmas present for his wife. In fact, this has happened three times since the sale including the CEO of an Australian race ing club securing a share for his wife for Christmas too.
I couldn't imagine a more perfect gift, one that certainly keeps on giving! A share in a horse is an experience that both people can enjoy together. We have found that gifting a share in a horse is becoming more popular each year, and with Christmas just around the corner the timing couldn't be more perfect. For those of you who say 'diamonds are a girl's best friend' - you have clearly never had a share in a horse OR been to races!
On that note, I would like to wish our owners who have runners this weekend the very best of luck, go the good guys and ...