Te Akau Sunday Update
Date: 19 Jan 2020
David writes:
It really is my favourite time of the year. The yearling sales, together with the racing in January and February are just so exciting.
It's been a great weekend!
Yesterday our stables won five races for our owners - two wins from just two runners for Jamie and the team at Trentham and Mark won three races in Singapore!
This morning the stud team and I unloaded our seven new yearlings that have come from the Gold Coast Sale. It's great to see the excitement on everyone's faces when we welcome these beautiful horses home to the farm - two colts and five fillies.
They all have beautiful pedigrees and have all travelled home safely and I couldn't be happier with them. These horses are selling very quickly so if you want to get involved in a yearling with a beautiful pedigree which really gives you a good start please ring me today on 021 925 151.
We always really enjoy talking to people who are interested in investing and its great meeting people and seeing the fun on their face when they have success on the racetrack. That's what really keeps Karyn and me charged.
It was great yesterday to see Festivity win her second start making it two from two. She is a high class filly in the making and I am just thrilled for the owners of the fillies' syndicate I put together in 2018.
It's been a frustrating wait with these girls because our policy is not to put pressure on the horses until they are ready. We brought three fillies for the syndicate - Exaltation who is a Not A Single Doubt filly out of Meleka Belle (making her a half sister to Melody Belle). She has had one start for one win.
Festivity is an I Am Invincible filly who has had two starts now for two wins. Unfortunately, the third filly in the syndicate had a heart issue and is no longer with us, and to replace her we purchased a magnificent Exceed and Excel filly from a top family on the Gold Coast.
Today we have some international visitors who I am showing around Te Akau Stud, then we are off to our beach house in Raglan to celebrate the great results from yesterday.
Then tomorrow I have a day on the farm, and then Tuesday it is up to Auckland for 10 days.
For the first day at Karaka I have some yearlings from the South Island and Central Districts to inspect. Then we assemble the short lists which I go through with Joe Walls, Mark Walker and Jamie Richards. We then go back and have a second and third look so by Friday night we know exactly what horses we are interested in and all the homework has been done with the sale starting on Sunday.
If you've never been to the Karaka sale before it is well worth the trip. These is brilliantly run and such a showcase of our industry, it is a great atmosphere and many people who tell me they haven't been before really enjoy it. So, come out and join the Te Akau team you will be made to feel very welcome.
Yesterday's double at Trentham, brought up win number 72 for Jamie and black type win number seven for the season in New Zealand plus a Group 1 in Australia. Te Akau New Zealand has now won stake money of over $1.6 million to go with the approximately $2 million we won in Australia in the Spring.
NZTR Trainers Premiership ...
| Wins | 2nds | 3rds | Stakes | Starts | G & L | SR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Richards | 72 | 43 | 46 | $1,673,673 | 350 | 7 | 4.86 |
| 2 | Stephen Marsh | 61 | 34 | 48 | $1,292,851 | 441 | 6 | 7.23 |
| 3 | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 39 | 31 | 45 | $1,104,950 | 312 | 6 | 8 |
| 4 | Kelvin Tyler & Aimee Tyler | 30 | 20 | 22 | $495,349 | 183 | 1 | 6.1 |
| 5 | Kevin Myers | 28 | 28 | 33 | $514,756 | 256 | 0 | 9.14 |
| 6 | Michael & Matthew Pitman | 25 | 24 | 28 | $585,060 | 232 | 1 | 9.28 |
| 7 | Tony Pike | 25 | 17 | 15 | $854,587 | 147 | 5 | 5.88 |
| 8 | Lisa Latta | 21 | 22 | 32 | $669,805 | 278 | 3 | 13.24 |
| 9 | Andrew Carston | 21 | 20 | 13 | $376,145 | 179 | 2 | 8.52 |
| 10 | Team Rogerson | 20 | 26 | 35 | $570,508 | 328 | 2 | 16.4 |
When you think about the yearling sales starting on Sunday, Avantage's Group 1 win yesterday is a really good example of the sort of yearling I am trying to buy ... a filly that raced as a 2YO ... in fact she won the Karaka Million and trained on in the autumn to win the Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes. She won Group races in Australia and New Zealand as a 3YO and has come back as a 4YO in career best form.
This is the sort of horse I am trying to buy - she is by Fastnet Rock out of a very good Zabeel mare a terrific family and I paid $210,000 for her, she would be worth several million dollars now.
We have horses running this week - at Te Rapa today, Otaki tomorrow and Avondale on Wednesday. Then our attention turns to Karaka Million night where we have two really good chances in Cool Aza Beel and Bordeaux Le Rouge in the 2YO Karaka Million and Probabeel in the 3YO Karaka Million.
It will also be exciting to see both Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark having an Exhibition gallop at Ellerslie on the night.
Well done again to the owners of all our recent winners - and especially yesterday to Avantage for another Group 1 win!!
GO THE TANGERINE!
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