Te Akau Thursday Update

David writes:

It has been a really full on week at Te Akau Stud with more bulls and steers going.  It is funny I did not think it was a very good winter but the cattle are weighing so heavy it cannot be as bad as I thought. The immediate future for cattle prices does not look that strong so I think it is a great time to be selling cattle.

At the farm we have finished shearing this week and I was quite happy with the prices we got for the wool and we will be having our first lamb draft in ten days.  Next week we are also going to be putting on the fertiliser that we normally put on in February - the price of fertiliser is going to take a bit of an increase on 1 December so I thought we would get it on early and give the farm a bit of a boost for the summer.

We are still all just buzzing at the farm and at the stables over the magnificent performance of our colt Xtravagant.  What a beautiful boy he is. I can't stop going down to the paddock to see him.  If you want to see him eating his dinner you have to be quick because it is all gone in about 15 minutes.

I did intend to go to Christchurch this weekend but we are just too busy on the farm so Karyn and our daughter Julia-Rose will represent the team at Christchurch and Steve Autridge and Jamie Richards will be on hand with Pam and Dan to look after the horses.

In all the excitement of the win last week I forgot to congratulate a very important member of our team who is in charge of Xtravagant for the trip to the South Island and that is Dan Miller (below).  Dan is one of the most exceptional young men we have ever had working at Te Akau Racing. He is someone I am really proud to have in the team. He is a world class track work rider and a champion person and he is extremely good with difficult colts.  Dan is still in the South Island helping Pam look after the horses this week.

It is going to be a really exciting weekend at Riccarton.  We have seven runners including our very good two year old Sassy'n'Smart and we have three fillies lining up in the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas.  All three - Special Memories, Risque and Princess Davone must rate good chances.

It has been a big advantage having these fillies down in the South and settled in at Riccarton for the last six weeks because I understand the plane that was taking other horses down last night was delayed so at the earliest they will be going down tonight which certainly is not ideal.

If you are anywhere near Christchurch this weekend you should go to Riccarton.  It is one of the best day's racing that I attend each year. A really exciting atmosphere and top class racing and I am really sorry that this year I won't be able to get down there.

Remember that the on-course attendance is capped so get there early or buy your tickets on line - if you have a horse running of course the owner privileges are at the kiosk at the main entry gate.

Karyn and Julia-Rose has stayed in Christchurch this week and have had a great time - they had a quiet Monday catching up on paperwork and on Tuesday Karyn took Julia-Rose to Addington for her first NZ Cup Day harness experience.  They enjoyed catching up with plenty of friends, new and existing, including Cameron George (CEO of the Auckland Racing Club), Butch Castles (CEO of Hawkes Bay Racing), Kate Gourdie of the NZ Racing Board and NZ cricketer Kyle Mills.  Our great friend Dave McCarthy was also on site, media pass in hand!  It was great to also re-connect with an old friend of Karyn's in Gary Allen and his lovely wife!

Karyn then had a double trip to Riccarton on Wednesday - firstly at 7.15am to be a guest on TV One's "Breakfast" programme with Rawden Christie and then again at 11.30am for the race day with Julia-Rose. Karyn's mother Sylvia also joined them and will spend the next two days in Christchurch with her daughter and grand-daughter - really lovely for them.

On Sunday we will be on the edge of our seats as Mark lines up Sebrose in the $1.3 million Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup.  Champion Singapore jockey Manuel Nunes, back from suspension, rides this son of Sebring that I bought from the Gold Coast Sale.  He is out of the Group 1 NZ Oaks' winner Bramble Rose and won a Group 3 at his last start at Kranji.  He has drawn well enough at barrier eight.

Recently an advertising company did some work for Greenlea, a beef processer and exporter who we sell most of our meat to.  They came out to Te Akau Stud and took some beautiful photos which I thought you would like to see. See them below!

Have a great weekend and good luck to the whole team - in New Zealand and Singapore.

Racing photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz