Te Akau TV - Ready to Race? Your Tangerine Weekend Preview Awaits

It's hard to believe that another week has rolled around, and once again, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating another action-packed weekend of racing! It's a great time of the year as we count down to some of the major Trans-Tasman carnivals!

It was full-on for everyone involved with Te Akau over the past weekend - even a few tired heads come Monday morning as we celebrated 6 wins in 3 countries in just 18 hour period.

Te Akau has now hit 40 wins this season in Australasia, including two Group 1 victories and four other Group/Listed races. We are rapidly approaching $2 million in prize money won for our owners.

Imperatriz's Record-Breaking Performance:

Last weekend's festivities kicked off just after the stroke of midnight (NZ time) on Saturday, as Te Akau's star mare, Imperatriz, set Moonee Valley ablaze in the A$750,000 Group 1 Moir Stakes. Known affectionately as 'Berri,' this exceptional mare not only blitzed her rivals but also shattered her own 1000m record, previously established just three weeks prior in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes. On that occasion, she left spectators in awe with a time of 56.68 seconds, trouncing a field that included last year's Everest winner, Gigi Kick. This time, the queen of the tangerine, with our stable jockey Opie Bosson back in the saddle outdid herself once more, breaking her own track record with a scorching time of 56.47 seconds. It was pretty amazing to win our first Group 1 from our new Cranbourne base. All and all it was a night worth staying up for!

Notably, Imperatriz's remarkable victory on Friday catapulted her to the forefront of global horse racing. She now shares the title of the leading global Group 1 winner of 2023 with the Northern Hemisphere star, Paddington - each boasting four Group 1 titles. This week's latest TRC Global Horse Rankings see her now rated No.9 in the world - thus the highest rated female in the world - or as commentators are now labelling her 'the world's top sprinting mare'.

The next Moonee Valley race saw Cambridge Stud's Zourion on debut. She went a super race in her Group 2 assignment only beaten by bad luck and a wide draw when sixth - there is plenty ahead of the already NZ Group 2 winner for certain.

Weekend Winning Streak Continues:

The tangerine winning streak then carried over to Saturday, with a fantastic treble at Riccarton courtesy of Mazzucato, Trobriand, and It's Business Time (the latter we train for the team at Windsor Park Stud). These performances further solidified their credentials for Cup Week assignments - and we’re under a month away now until the big dance in the South. A special mention goes out to our apprentice, Niranjan Parmar, who expertly guided all three southern winner and is currently leading the New Zealand apprentice ranks with 14 wins and holds the fifth position in the overall Jockey's Premiership.

Across Borders and Continents:

The winning momentum extended across borders as Rubicon Crossing triumphed at Mornington for our Cranbourne stable and the Fortuna team. In Singapore, our stable also made its presence felt with God's Gift prevailing at Kranji. Our winning strike rate in Australia is an impressive 42.9%, with three wins from seven starts, and we are just getting started - watch this space!

A Weekend to Remember:

These remarkable victories wouldn't have been possible without the unwavering dedication and hard work of our exceptional team across all four of our racing stables: Mark, Sam, Reece, Ben, Nicole, Ashley, Kendyll, Donna, Pete, and all our valued team members have played pivotal roles in these results. Every single Te Akau team member contributes to this success, and we are incredibly grateful for their passion and commitment.

It's truly remarkable to witness the exceptional start to the training career of our New Zealand co-trainer, Sam Bergerson. In just two months of the season, Sam, alongside Mark, has secured 37 wins in New Zealand alone, with our horses amassing over $1.1 million in stakes with an incredible strike rate of 3.32! Again Te Akau is the first stable to pass the $1 million in stakes won for our owners.

And yes - it is all about our incredible family of owners - your support makes these achievements possible! Your unwavering belief in our team and your loyalty make all the difference.

Together, as a united team, there are boundless opportunities that lie ahead and with our amazing owners, world-class team and quality horses, Te Akau will keep moving to the next level.

What's Around The Bend:

We've got another exciting weekend coming up with 31 runners in races across all four of our operations. To get all the inside scoop don't miss this week's episode of Te Akau TV, featuring our Racing Manager, Reece Trumper.

The action begins with six runners at Timaru in South Canterbury on Friday. Then we return to Moonee Valley on Friday night where Sans Doute makes her Australian debut with our stable rider Opie Bosson engaged.

Opie will stay on to ride Waikato Stud's Group 1 Tarzino winner, Skew Wiff, in the A$300,000 Group 2 Rose of Kingston Stakes over 1400m at Flemington on Saturday which will be one to watch.

We're also eagerly anticipating our runners at our home track in Matamata, and also at Hawera on Saturday. Finally, we'll cap off the weekend in style with races in Singapore on Saturday evening (NZ time).

Don't forget to catch our 'Tangerine Tip of The Weekend' - the team do tend to find some beauties for you.

Good luck to all of our runners and connections this weekend - here we go again! Go the tangerine!