Te Akau Thursday Update
30 January, 2025
David writes:
Well, what a busy ten days we have had! And some of the most exhilarating days and moments you could ever have in racing too!
Starting with Karaka Millions' twilight meeting on Saturday at Ellerslie - while the weather deteriorated and didn't play it's part - Te Akau owners were still in very high spirits as our tangerine colours lit up the racecourse in two electrifying displays.
Not only did the stable win the $1 million Karaka Millions' 2YO with Super Seth filly La Dorada, our last year's 2YO runner up Damask Rose was dominant winning the $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO.
La Dorada became our 8th Karaka Millions 2YO winner in the past nine years, while Damask Rose was our third Karaka Millions 3YO winner in the past six years.
We are the only stable to have completed an 'on the night Millions' double' - and Te Akau has now achieved this three times: this year with La Dorada and Damask Rose, and previously with Cool Aza Beel/Probabeel in 2020 and Dynastic/Pin Me Up in 2022.
While it is a source of pride to have selected and bought all of our 2YO Millions' winners, I am more proud of our incredible team - the hard work and excellence of our whole training team, headed by Mark and Sam! Also to all of the professionals that work so closely with us to bring out the very best in our horses - vets, farriers, it takes a real team!
Well done, your attention to detail and incredible care and love for our horses really helps them to achieve such phenomenal results.
To our amazing family of owners who support Karyn and me and the whole Te Akau team - results like this are only possible because of your loyalty, and the trust and confidence you place in us. Rewarding our owners with results like this is humbling and is what we strive for every single day, in all we do, to give our owners these moments.
As I said, it was a really exciting evening for Te Akau owners and one of the things that gives Karyn and me the biggest pleasure, is to see the sheer thrill that our owners get out of winning these big races. To also witness the pride of our team also is very special - they have all worked so hard through Christmas and New Year and I know how much this means to them.
There was no time for celebrations however - the very next morning we were up bright and early as the Karaka sale got underway. Three days of Book 1, then two days of Book 2 which concluded today - and what stunning yearlings we have identified and brought home for our owners, new and existing, to enjoy!
This morning, I went around the farm looking at all the yearlings that we have purchased, and it is just so exciting to see the quality that we have. I am certain shares have never sold so quickly as they are this year and in Book 2 yesterday I bought Satono Aladdin a filly for $260,000 and she was literally sold in two minutes!
Do check our our 'Yearlings & Shares' page - on our new-look website -
https://www.teakauracing.com/yearlings-shares
We have shares available in top quality yearlings, from a variety of farms, by proven and exciting, up and coming sires, out of fantastic families! Colts and fillies - across all price ranges, there will be a share for you!
Nowhere in the world will you see this line up of sheer class that you can choose from - if you can't make up your mind then please feel free to call me anytime on 021 925 151 or ring our Racing Manager Reece Trumper on 027 438 8880 and you will be made to feel very welcome.
I would also like to congratulate our Marketing Manager Julia-Rose Hayes for the incredible job she and her team carried out leading in to, and during, sale week - the work behinds the scenes is really mind-boggling! The new look website is her brainchild - she is simply the best at what she does and a massive thank you to her. Her skill and talent in this area does not go unnoticed!
The Waikato is getting very dry and brown at the moment but it’s just amazing how horses thrive at this time of the year in this weather. We are starting to wean some foals today. They were all branded two weeks ago and the foals look absolutely fantastic. We have got some magnificent foals this year by Embellish, Sword of State and Noverre.
This weekend I am really looking forward to a race that will mean a lot to me and Karyn personally, and to Mark Walker as well.
On Saturday, the inaugural running of the Group 3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic will be staged at Ellerslie. Colin was one of my very best, life-long friends, and his advice, loyalty, wisdom and friendship over many decades from the time he met me as a young man, was greatly treasured by me. Mark looked up to Colin, a NZ Racing Hall of Fame awardee, who always freely shared his training expertise and experience with him, and In fact he actually introduced Karyn and me at the Trentham races.
We have the race favourite, unbeaten colt Return To Conquer as well as Dare To Proisir in the race. It would be such an honour to win the first running of this event which is named after a true legend.
Thank you to Auckland Thoroughbred Racing for having the foresight to salute this great man, I know it means a lot to his family - it's fantastic prize money too of $120,000 - stakes that we wouldn’t have dreamt were possible just two years ago.
Have a great weekend and best of luck to all our owners with runners this weekend, at Te Rapa on Friday and Ellerslie and Taranaki in New Zealand, and Melbourne in Australia on Saturday.
Remember to check out our 'Yearlings & Shares' page - the next champion is there for certain.