Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

There is nothing more rewarding than going to a sale and buying some nice horses and then seeing them sell so quickly.  I have never known shares to sell so quickly and we have been so busy, we have barely had time to update the website with the total of shares sold - and now remaining!

We only have shares left in two horses and quite remarkably they are two of the best - my favourites !!
Lot 25 - The Delago Deluxe gelding which we bought for $200,000.  This is a ripper of a horse and we know he can really gallop. Jamie reports this horse (who we sent straight to the stable) has quickly settled into his new environment and worked really nicely this morning.

Delago Deluxe is by my favourite sire Encosta De Lago while, on this gelding's female side, he is out of a winning Exceed and Excel mare who is out of a Zabeel mare.  When you look at the first three generations of the sire and the dam you see the following stallions:  Encosta de Lago, Exceed and Excel, Flying Spur, Danehill, Zabeel, Northern Dancer, Star Way, Success Express and Sir Tristram.

The third dam is the Hawkes Bay Cup runner Eye Full who won 11 races.  It is genuinely hard to believe there are still a couple of shares left in this horse.  Go back, say two years ago, and and it was exactly the same case with Gingernuts - isn't it incredible!  My plan with this horse is to run him in both of the Group One 2 year old races, the Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie and the Sires' Produce at Manawatu before we spell and get him ready for the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas in the Spring.  This is a race we have won six times, most recently just this month with Embellish, with Age of Fire second and Te Akau Shark very close up, edged out by only a nose into fourth.  This Delago Deluxe gelding will be ready to trial in about five weeks.

The other horse with a couple of shares lefts is the So You Think filly.  This filly is more a staying filly than the De Lago Deluxe lad.

I could see her being at Riccarton for the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas this time next year (a race we have won four times) then we would head to the Group 1 Oaks at Trentham then Sydney.  Then as a four year old mare we would go for the big races in Melbourne.  I have a plan for each horse that I buy and that is the plan I have for her.  This morning I inspected this filly in the paddock and what a beauty she is - just real class.  Have a look at her pedigree on our web site in the first three dams she has the following stallions:

High Chaparral, Thorn Park, Sadlers Wells, Pentire, Northern Dancer, Njinsky, Nureyev, Be My Guest and In the Purple.  Also, thanks to Julia-Rose, you can see this filly parade on our web site.  I think you will agree with me she is just a stunning filly.

If you are keen on ever getting involved in this exciting industry you will never get a better opportunity than these two horses, both bought quite realistically for their quality.

On Saturday Karyn and I went to Auckland for the christening of my two grandchildren Ted and Ella and then yesterday Karyn, Mark Walker and I went over to Waiheke for our stable jockey Opie Bosson's wedding to Trackside presenter Emily Murphy. Emily was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen and it was a very happy evening at Mudbrick Vineyard. What a breathtaking view you get from there across the Hauraki Gulf on one side, you look to Great Barrier Island on another side to Coromandel then back to Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Then today it was back to the farm to draft the next unit of ox.  We are sending a truck and trailer each day at present which is just as well as it certainly is a good time reduce stock numbers as it is starting to get quite dry - still plenty of good quality grass but we want rain - I told you farmers are hard to keep happy!

My attention has already turned to the Karaka Yearling sale where there are now 700 horses to inspect in the premier sale or, as it now called, Book One.

I am still buzzing out recently concluded NZ Cup Carnival.  Yesterday we sent Embellish and Age of Fire back into training.  Boy did those two colts look amazing.  Embellish is now looking ahead to the $1 million Karaka Mile and Age of Fire will target the Group 1 Levin Stakes, which we won with Hall of Fame last year.    Unbeatern 2YO filly Avantage and stakes' winner Grazia also went back into work.  Avantage is now aiming for the Karaka Million 2YO event which we won this year with Melody Belle, who I also purchased, while Grazia will run in the fillies and mares' Group races.

Next Monday, another last start stakes' winner in Al Hasa and Te Akau Shark will go back into work.  Al Hasa is targeting the major 2YO races while Te Akau Shark is being set for the Group 1 NZ Derby at Ellerslie in March - the race we won this year with Gingernuts.

We have lots of exciting horses to race in the next week.

Best of luck to all our owners and thank you for everybody who purchased shares from the Ready To Run Sale.

Go the tangerine.