Te Akau Tuesday Update

David writes:

Karyn and I really enjoyed a great day at the Awapuni races at Palmerston North on Saturday. It was a wonderful atmosphere and what a huge thrill for the owners of On the Bubbles when he won the $225,000Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes - for most of them, it was their first Group 1 win.

On the Bubbles won like a horse that could well be a Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas contender in the Spring and of course we will also be aiming him for the Karaka 3YO million dollar race in January.

On the Bubbles was very well ridden by Johnathan Parkes, who has been aboard him every start. He is an impressive jockey, very dedicated and a great listener who using his instinct while also being mindful of riding instructions.

Once again, On The Bubbles drew wide but it doesn't seem to worry this son of Brazen Beau - he almost doesn't know what a good draw means - in his six starts he has drawn10, 9, 14, 8, 3 and 13 for the group 1 on the weekend.  While he hasn't had any luck with draws, his form is incredibly hard to beat. I bought him for $90,000 and he has now earned his owners $743,550 winning four of his six starts, while being runner up at his other two.

Seeing On the Bubbles win on Saturday like he did by by three lengths makes you realise just how good our other Group 1 two year old winner Sword of State is. Not only is Sword of State the only horse to beat On The Bubbles but he has also previously beaten him by two lengths and six lengths.

This is now the fourth year in a row that we have won the Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes, and we have won it now a total of six times - how exciting is that for our owners!?

Prise De Fer also ran a top race to finish second in the Group 1 Awapuni Gold Cup. On the way to the races, I was looking at previous winners of the Gold Cup, and when you reflect on the honour roll of this race, it's really something special.  Horses like Bardell, Game, Young Ida, Showgate, Grey Way, Balmerino, La Mer, The Twinkle, Horlicks, The Phantom, Sir Slick, Nightmarch, Kindergarten, Desert Gold and Distinctly Secret are just some of the top Group 1 horses that have won this time-honoured race, which was first held in 1915.

I first went to the Awapuni Racecourse in 1971. During my time at Flock House, an agricultural college in the Manawatu, I used to go to the races whenever I could. A few years later while I was at Massey University, I made sure I never missed a meeting at Awapuni.  It was nostalgic to travel back to this racecourse and, thinking back, I could never have imagined the success Te Akau would winning Group races there.  It was also special for us as this was the first race meeting 17 years ago that Karyn and I attended as an engaged couple!

Saturday's Te Akau success was not confined to Awapuni though as we were delighted to see Mai Tai and Markus Aurelius continue their on winning way at Ellerslie, making it a winning treble for the day.  In fact, over 48 hours from Easter Saturday to Easter Monday, Te Akau Racing won a total of six races at Awapuni (1), Ellerslie (2), Singapore (2 - Our Secret Weapon and Entertainer) and Tauranga (1 - Charmaine's Dream).

On The Bubbles was Jamie's 14th Group 1 winner for the season, taking his career total to 45 Group 1's.  He has now trained 139 winners in New Zealand and the all-time record stands at 143 so it will be interesting to see, with four months of the season to go, when the old record is broken and the stable establishes the new benchmark.

What an incredible achievement for all of those involved and congratulations to all our owners who are having such an incredible year.

NEW ZEALAND TRAINERS' PREMIERSHIP as at 6.04.21

As you can see, Jamie leads the New Zealand Trainers' Premiership on every measure, while our Singapore trainer Mark Walker has made a flying start to the 2021 season and is currently second on the Kranji Premiership table.

I really enjoyed watching Weigh In on Monday morning. It was rescheduled from the usual time spot of 8pm on a Monday evening due to Hong Kong racing.  However, it would have been great if the TAB had actually promoted this, rather than leaving it to the last minute, as many of viewers had no idea of the time change. For those of you who missed this episode, you will be able to find a link to it on our website, or check out Weigh In on Facebook.

One of the interviews in this week's programme was with Cameron George, who is an outstanding racing administrator. He is doing a fantastic job as Chairman of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and its action plan is just what the industry needs.  Of course, it won't please everybody, but the Board is put in place to make sure that there is a long-term future for horse racing in New Zealand. It is obvious to me that this Board is making real progress, so congratulations to the team at NZTR.

Cameron first came to New Zealand as a stipendiary steward and made a huge difference very quickly, becoming Chief Stipendiary Steward overseeing all three codes. He was outstanding in this role before moving on to become Chief Executive of the Auckland Racing Club, where again he made a huge difference during his tenure.  As Chief Executive of the Vodafone Warriors, it is clearly proven that Cameron is a man of many talents and his experience in major roles within leading sectors is second to none. We are very lucky to have a man of his calibre so involved with our industry.

We are in the busy educating yearlings here at Te Akau Stud, and it is very obvious to me that we have the best group of yearlings that we have ever purchased. There are some stunning individuals, just so much quality. I am looking forward to them heading in to the stable over the next few months.

It is a very exciting time of the year, and we cannot wait to see what these yearlings achieve in the near future.

Have a great week everyone, and I hope you all had a safe and relaxing Easter weekend.