Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

As I dictate this news to you I am up watching the horses being trained on the farm.  We are currently training six horses.  They will each do six weeks work on the farm and then they will go into the stables where they will not be far away from going to the races.

I particularly like training on the farm as I can really put some condition on these young horses.  I find that after we work them we take them for an hour's walk and they just get so relaxed and mentally prepared for their next preparation.

The two horses in the photo are a Zabeel/Thistle Cove gelding called Cathedral Cove and a Saperavi filly our of La Conga.  La Conga is a very good broodmare and leaves beautiful types. This year she has a Burgundy filly and she is in foal to Darci Brahma.

The next two horses that we will work are the Don Eduardo gelding and an Alamosa filly, Super Power.  When we started working Super Power she was light in condition and quite highly strung but after working on the farm for six weeks she has strengthened greatly and totally relaxed and I am pretty thrilled with the way she is progressing.  The Don Eduardo gelding has been sent to us from some of our owners in the South Island.  He looks a real staying type and we are looking to send him to Matamata in about three weeks time.

This morning I came in for breakfast about 6.30am and always watch the news on TV 1.  I thought it was a great promotion that the New Zealand Metropolitan Club did having breakfast live at Addington for New Zealand Cup Day.  I love watching races like the New Zealand Cup and the big races that they have today and Dean MaKenzie, the Chief Executive at Addington is an administrator that we could all learn a lot from.  He is a very capable events' manager and it was great to see Addington looking in such beautiful shape for the great day's racing today.

After we have worked these horses I am going to draft 32 steers off that will be going to the works tomorrow.  Our cattle have been weighing so well that the newspapers have found out about it and are doing a story on our cattle farm.  It is unusual for me to be interviewed and not talk about horses.  I did the interview yesterday with Andrea Fox, a reporter from Fairfax and they are sending a photographer out from the Waikato Times to take a photo tomorrow.

Karyn is in Christchurch and is working at the New Zealand Trotting  Cup Day and will be at Riccarton tomorrow and is coming home tomorrow night.  She is again for the third year the MC for the Addington Fashion in the Fields which attracts hundeds of entries - including a body painting section!