Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

It's been a very busy week at Te Akau Stud!

This week we are planting 50 trees including 40 Pin Oak trees down the main race. They look just stunning and it is a great investment for future generations. I am committed to planting 500 trees in the next 10 years and already after 12 months have planted 100!

This morning we brought another six yearling fillies into the boxes for the week. Six Burgundy fillies that are looking very athletic to my eye and have beautiful temperaments.

Burgundy was seriously one of the fastest horses Te Akau has ever trained and he has every chance to be a serious stallion - don't get carried away by the fact he didn't win a Group 1 race - some of the best stallions in Europe didn't win a Group 1.

What does matter is his speed and pedigree - he is out of Redoute's Choice out of a Group 1 winning daughter of Zabeel who was herself an Oaks' winner. He is a 3/4 brother to the second best stallion in New Zealand and you can send a mare to him for $6,000 so Mark Walker and I are sending 10 mares to him this season.

This morning I have two of the team from Greenlea meat company here. Alan Radford has been my fat stock buyer since 1979 and he brought the livestock manager Bruce Mudgeway out to discuss the meat market and the coming season ahead. Greenlea is an enormously successful Waikato company and is owned by Peter and Joan Egan who love their horse racing and have a share in Astrid, a Pins filly Joan bred and who we expect to have a good season.

I am disappointed I can't go to the Taupo races tomorrow due to a prior commitment in Auckland. We have some exciting horses in tomorrow so we hope it doesn't get too heavy.

Yesterday we had a highly important visitor to our stables, New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum. Brendon loves his racing and owns a lovely filly who is trained by Te Akau Racing.

Jamie Richards who is training the team with Steve Autridge has celebrated his 26th birthday today - what I would give to be 26 again (not so sure - Ed)! Many happy returns to you from the team Jamie!

Best of luck to the team at Taupo!