Te Akau Thursday Update

David writes:

What and exciting week in horse racing it has been!!  And what an exciting weekend we have coming up for Te Akau Racing.

We have Gingernuts running in an A$2 million race at Flemington and five runners in stakes' races at Riccarton (three in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas) and some great chances at Te Rapa including two stakes' contestants there too  - it doesn't get any better does it?

Te Akau Racing is on fire in both Singapore and New Zealand.

In Singapore Mark Walker is 24 wins in front of the Trainers' Premiership with only four weekends of racing for the season.  While in New Zealand, Steve and Jamie are also a on fire winning the Group 3 OMF Stakes, Ellerslie's big Melbourne Cup day race, on Tuesday with Fortuna's Chance to Dance.  Te Akau Racing  has won the most black type races in New Zealand this season (4) and boasts an incredible strike rate, so well done to all the team.

Today I am off to Christchurch for the weekend to support our southern team on the first day of NZ Cup Week - we have a huge number of owners in Christchurch and across the whole of the South Island and Cup Week is always a great chance to catch up with them in person and have a drink and a natter.

So while I head south, Karyn is off to Melbourne to look after over 30 Gingernuts' owners and partners who are off to Flemington to cheer "Jerry" on!

Here at Te Akau Stud the grass growth has finally started to take off and the cattle are really now starting to thrive.  This morning we finish shearing but the price of wool would make you cry.  The price  for the ewe wool is $2.30 per kilo.  This is about a third of what I got when I bought my first farm in 1979.  It is lucky lambs are selling so well.

Each morning I read the ANZ Bloodstock News and this morning I was interested to read of a big development in Queensland racing where prize money is set to rise with the  government putting A$17.5 million into racing each year.  The Australian Federal and State governments really, truly understand the value of racing to their economies - the reason the government(s) in Australia put so much into racing is because they know the huge value racing is to the whole economy and the huge number of people racing employs.

It is certainly exciting having Winston Peters as the new Minister for racing - the industry looks forward to the change he will drive.  One thing for Winston, he really does hold the industry in high regard.

Have a great weekend and go the tangerine!!!!