Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

The Te Akau Season Celebration racing awards' evening at Te Rapa on Sunday was a huge success. The venue at the racecourse was just brilliant, the catering was outstanding - everything was a picture of perfection, from decor to delivery.

Well done to our daughter Julia-Rose for pulling everything together in less than two weeks for our own outstanding night - we started with drinks and canapés and then we were seated for dinner in preparation to take in the live streaming of the NZTR Horse of the Year awards. The night went like clockwork, a well-oiled machine thanks to Julia-Rose and our MC, Trackside's Aidan Rodley.

We were also delighted to welcome NZTR CEO Bernard Saundry, also NZB Chairman Joe Walls and his wife Wendy for the evening and former Minister for Racing Hon. David Bennett - alongside our owners and other friends and business partners. Many of our guests had their dancing shoes on too, as celebrations continued until the wee hours.

The Te Rapa racecourse is a terrific venue with the renovations the Waikato Racing Club board undertook about three years ago. Modern, fresh, versatile - it's ideal for all types of events. Well done to Waikato Racing Club CEO Andrew Castles, you sure know how to run a race course. Thanks too, to WRC's Charlotte Mooney for her valued assistance too.

We hosted nearly 160 people on the evening - it was awesome to see Jamie Richards win the Dunstan Trainer of the Year award, after being the sole finalist - what high praise. When you think of all the good trainers there are in New Zealand, for Jamie in only his second season solo to win, that's a massive achievement from a young man who will undoubtedly reach the top of his career. Jamie of course also received the Trainers' Premiership trophy.

It was great to have Dunstan's David Smith there with a table of supporters, and it doesn't go unnoticed the huge investment that Dunstan Feeds put back into our industry in sponsorship, in so many fields - they really go the extra mile to give back, which is great to see. All the feed Te Akau uses is Dunstan and we think it is the very best.

It was also great to see our stable rider Opie Bosson named Champion Jockey of the Year. When you consider Opie's season, he was surely a short-priced, dead-set favourite for the title! He was the leading jockey at the Sydney Autumn Carnival, winning the most Group 1's there of any rider. His season saw 11 Group 1 victories and this former Te Akau apprentice is just about to hit a purple patch of form, look out. Opie started working for Te Akau as a 14 year old when he started his apprenticeship and this was his sixth Champion Jockey title. It was very special to have Opie and his talented wife Emily with us.

We were a very proud family when our daughter Julia-Rose won the NZTR Award for Contribution to Media, Digital and Content. Entries are called for, for this award. With the developments in social media technology, it is no longer a media/journalism recognition like days gone by, it has been broadened in its scope.

The NZTR Award for Contribution to Media, Digital & Content is open to all journalists, broadcasters, writers, photographers and content producers (including social media), living in New Zealand. Entries are submitted by a variety of content providers and judges welcome examples of new and innovative methods of storytelling and audience engagement. For example two years ago Luke Kemeys and his great BGP (Boys Get Paid) group was the recipient.

We were also proud to have Te Akau's Mette Mosebo named as one of three finalists for NZTR's Stablehand of the Year award. Mette was the winner of the northern area section of this category and was awarded $2,500 for that honour by sponsor Majestic Horse Transport.

Cool Aza Beel was unanimously voted Champion 2YO of the Year - while this may have been 'expected' you can never take anything for granted when it comes to awards and we certainly never do. We were delighted for his owners as this colt has a very exciting future at stud ahead of him so he will only race for one more season. We are looking at having him ready to race in November as we head in to the nice stakes' races as Ellerslie - and yes, he does have the Karaka Million 3YO Mile in his sights. Maybe he could 'do a Probabeel' and record back to back Millions.

Speaking of our grand mare, I did think Probabeel was a little unfortunate in missing out on Champion 3YO honours, especially after her effort winning the Group 1 Surround Stakes in Sydney and being runner up in the Group 1 Flight and Group 1 Vinery Stakes there too. Our Karaka Million 3YO Mile winner, she was unbeaten in New Zealand and notched up four other Group placings in Australia last term too.

But as I always say to my team - win with style and lose with grace and dignity. Congratulations to the Catalyst team - well done.

You had to feel a little sorry also for Te Akau Shark - he was the highest rated horse that New Zealand has had for several years and most years with what he has done, he would have been very hard to beat in his category. However his stablemate Melody Belle prevailed and she is a quality mare as we all know.

Avantage was also a little bit 'stiff' - most years if you win three Group 1 races in one season from 1200m, then 1600m and then over 2000m you would be a favourite for an award. This just shows the calibre of horses that we have in New Zealand at the moment and they are also flying the flag high overseas too.

Congratulations to John Galvin and the Melody Belle team for winning three awards - the Champion Sprinter/Miler, Champion Middle Distance Horse and the ultimate crown - Horse of the Year (for the second year running).

The last time we had a horse win that many awards was when King's Chapel won Champion 3YO of the Year and Champion Sprinter/Miler and he too was also named Horse of the Year in that same season.

All up the team won eight awards, or eleven if you include our guests Garry and Mary and Mark and Pippa Chittick (Waikato Stud - Breeder of the Year) and Marie Leicester (2019/20 Broodmare of the Year winner is her mare Meleka Belle, dam of Melody Belle).

Also winners on the night, who were with us, Jo and Brendan Lindsay of Cambridge Stud who won both the Owners' Premiership as well as the Owner of the Year title - what a well deserved honour this was. It is quite incredible what they are contributing to this industry and its investment that this industry so desperately needs. So well done Jo and Brendan.

Yesterday I was at the breeze ups at Te Rapa and I saw some really good types that will be sold in the upcoming Ready to Run Sale. Horses entered in this sale gallop up the Te Rapa straight over 600m and there were some very eye catching individuals on display.

I intend to be very active buying at the NZB Ready to Run Sale in November - this is the sale where I purchased the likes of Group 1 winners Gingernuts, Te Akau Shark, Hall of Fame and Singapore Polytrack Horse of the Year Flying Fulton. Actually about four years ago at this sale I only purchased two horses - they ran the quinella at their first start and won four Group 1 races between them (NZ Derby, Rosehill Guineas, Windsor Park Plate and Levin Classic) - yes - Gingernuts and Hall of Fame, serious racehorses winning on the international stage.

If you are interested in being part of the Te Akau team and would like to meet or have a chat before the sale, give me a call on 021 925 151 and you will be made to feel very welcome. If you want to be on our Priority List just drop Karyn an email - [email protected]

The Te Akau farmer is a very happy man today - 25mls of nice, warm rain spread over 10 hours is just what the doctor ordered. The farm is looking just amazing and I could not be happier with all the livestock.

It's a very busy time on the farm - we start shearing the hoggets this Thursday and then we have ewes and the lambs to drench, with the shearing of the ewes starting the following week. So it's all hands on deck - but it's easy to have a spring in your step when you have plenty of nice grass for all your animals.

We have a big team of 13 running at Tauranga tomorrow - good luck to jamie and all the team! It was also special having our senior team from the stable and the stud at our awards' celebration on Sunday night. Our team is just working so hard - Matamata, Christchurch and Sydney - they do this because they love our horses so much and I take may hat off to them. I so enjoy seeing their hard work being rewarded on the track and best still, seeing the stable start the new season the way we finished the last one with so many wins.

Karyn and I are heading to Hawkes Bay for the races this weekend - we do this every year with a group of friends and it is always a fun weekend. We will need plenty of voice with three Te Akau horses contesting the Group 1 Livamol Classic - Avantage, Prise De Fer and Melody Belle who is back to defend her title.

If you would like to chat to us about being involved in a nice horse from the Ready to Run Sale, tap us on the shoulder for a chat at the races.

Have a great week everyone and ...

GO THE TANGERINE!!!

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