Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

Yes - the final share in our final yearling is all sold!

Last week a good friend of mine asked me why we were still advertising when we have sold all our shares in our horses … well we do have a contract with the NZ Racing Board in December each year so it's always hard to tell at that time when we will have finished selling the yearlings and often we buy additional yearlings eg private sales like the Rock 'n' Pop/Princess Caga filly and the Pentire/Organdy colt both passed in lots from Karaka, then there were our two Sydney Easter Sale colts .... yearlings will keep popping up from time to time.

Several weeks ago we thought all the horses we had bought had been sold but one share in a beautiful Snitzel colt became available. This colt was a half brother to last season's champion two year old and I did think he was great buying at $200,000.

All my friends know what a great record we have with the last horse to sell so I hope this works out this way for our great friends Tom and Sue Roper.  Tom and Sue came to the farm today and bought the last share in our last yearling - the Snitzel colt. While they have bred horses in recent times, it has been a few years since Tom and Sue have come in on a sale yearling but they have had wonderful luck with Mark Walker and me.

In the last 10 years they have had a Champion Two Year Old, a Champion Three Year Old, a Champion Sprinter/Miler and a Horse of the Year! I would say we have won over 40 races for them.  We showed them the colt paceworking and then took them for a drive around the farm which was a lot of fun.

Karyn and I had such an enjoyable weekend on the farm with lots of friends staying at different times over the long weekend. We also got the rain we wanted - about 17 mls in total and I have never seen the farm looking better.

Mark Walker, Karyn and I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who invested in a yearling this year. I can say this. I have never seen a better bunch of horses working here each morning … it is just so exciting watching them learning the ropes each day.

Now our goal is to win races with these horses for our owners … we just can't wait for next season.

Have a great week and go Xtravagant in the Cambridge Breeders' Stakes on Saturday.