Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

What an incredible thrill it was for Karyn and me, and our team, to win the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Clinic Stakes at Te Rapa for Towering Vision's owners. He showed enormous heart and courage - taking the lead at the 200m mark, getting headed, and then fighting back with real grit to snatch victory by the narrowest of margins.

It was a particularly special win, as Towering Vision became the very first Southern Hemisphere stakes' winner for Circus Maximus, a sire I have a lot of time for. He stands at Windsor Park Stud, a farm we’ve had a lot of success buying yearlings from over the years. Rodney Schick, his family, and the entire team at Windsor Park are exceptional breeders - they run a first-class operation, and it’s always a pleasure to work with them.

If I’ve ever seen a Derby prospect in the making, it’s this gelding. The plan now is to give him one more start this season before we get him ready for the major three-year-old features next campaign. He’s certainly one to keep an eye on.

Interestingly, Towering Vision was extremely slow to sell - until he trialled well, and people started to see just what a classy individual he is. That made the win even more satisfying, and I was so thrilled for his owners as they have bought into such a talented individual, and now have a stakes' winner on their hands.

Another horse in a similar boat is a King’s Legacy gelding I bought at the Ready to Run Sale in November last year. Now called One True King, he also trialled very impressively last week. Like Towering Vision, he’s been slow to sell, but make no mistake - he is an exciting horse. I believe there are still two shares left in him. If you’re looking to be involved with a horse we already know is smart and ready to go, now’s the time - trial winners with shares still available are rare.

Karyn and I spent the weekend in Auckland celebrating our daughter Lydia’s birthday, which was made even more special by the arrival of her beautiful baby boy - Louis Edward Roseby - just six days earlier. It was such a joy to meet him for the first time. He’s already one of the most content little babies you could meet!

After the weekend in Auckland, its great to be back at the farm. The grass has just taken off with the rain that we have had, and the stock is starting to really thrive again. We have a lot of paddocks shut up for the cattle for the winter and we are feeding fifteen bales of haylage each day. We are selling 60 prime steers this week to Greenlea and a few more next week, just to bring our stock numbers down for what we want to winter.

We are lucky that we have had record margins this year for our cattle and it's great to be able to sell stock to a company that is as good as Greenlea, a company with a huge community conscience. It really is a company that everybody in New Zealand can feel very proud of.

This weekend is also a big one for us with the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame Dinner, and we’re really looking forward to it. I'm absolutely delighted that Imperatriz, officially judged the best sprinting mare in the world, will be inducted. She follows in the footprints of Melody Belle, who was honoured two years ago. It’s a real privilege to have two such phenomenal mares recognised in this way, and we’re incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.

Our racing operation is starting to wind down now as winter approaches, so we won’t have quite as many horses stepping out over the next few months. That said, the Spring team is looking very exciting, and there’s plenty to look forward to.  This Thursday, we will inspect every horse currently spelling at the farm. 

This is one of my favourite times of the year - seeing our newly educated yearlings return for a spell and watching them develop into young racehorses. The physical and mental transformation between them as yearlings and two-year-olds is remarkable. 

One filly I’m especially taken with is Lot 209 from the Sydney Easter Sale - an I Am Invincible filly out of Talaria. I honestly can’t believe she hasn’t completely sold yet. She reminds me so much of Imperatriz - it’s uncanny. She’ll be trained from our Melbourne stable and targeted at the major Australian races. 

Last time I looked there was a million-dollar race in Australia on average of about 2.5 a week, so the opportunities are immense. With Mark Walker, Ben Gleeson and our incredible team, our Cranbourne stable is absolutely flying, with an excellent strike rate.

So if you’re considering getting involved in a top-class prospect, this is your girl. Have a look at her profile on our website - here's the link:

https://www.teakauracing.com/yearling/lot-209-i-am-invincible-talaria-nz-brown-filly

Give me a call anytime - I promise you won’t be disappointed - she’s a ripper.

Best of luck to all our owners with runners this week.

GO THE TANGERINE!