Te Akau Weekend Update

David writes:

It is great to be back at the farm this week after a very busy week in Sydney and how exciting to have been able to buy such brilliant types of yearlings, just stunning types!

In total we purchased six yearlings at the Inglis easter Sale which took place on Sunday and Monday.

LOT 9 – Snitzel / English colt

I bought this for A$700,000 and 75% is sold - now only 25% available

LOT 10 – Frankel / Escapement colt 

I bought this for A$300,000 and it is 100% sold

LOT 83 – Written Tycoon / Irish Rose colt

I bought this for A$200,000 and it is 100% sold

LOT 214 -  Snitzel / Pippie filly

I bought this for A$775,000 and it is 100% sold

LOT 293 – Snitzel / Silent Sedition colt 

I bought this for A$700,000 and it is 65% sold - only 35% available

LOT 330 – Fastnet Rock / Supreme Mind filly

I bought this for A$260,000 and she is 25% sold, so 75% available

Make sure you check them out on our "Yearlings and Shares' page! 

Gee no wonder Sam Bergerson and Mark Walker have a permanent smile on their faces!  We are thrilled our team will be welcoming such quality yearlings to join the 'class of 2024' that we have bought thus far.

It really is such an exciting time to be involved with Te Akau Racing.

If you are interested in taking a share, please feel free to call me anytime on 021 925 151 – you will be made to feel very welcome.

Obviously Thursday was a 'moment in time' having to announce the retirement of our star girl Imperatriz.  She had, although we didn't know it at the time, the final race of her career at Randwick on Saturday and she is now back spelling at Te Akau Stud. 

She flew home to New Zealand and went straight to Waikato Equine for a full check-up. The x-rays and scans showed some minor wear and tear in both knees and in one fetlock joint, and it was not in her best interests to embark on a new high level campaign.  However the best news if that she retires a happy and heathy horse, and she will be sold as a broodmare.

What a wonderful mare she was.

She is now officially rated the best sprinter in the world and the second best horse in the world, by Global TRC rankings. I am so proud of all of our team that have looked after her so well since she was a two-year-old - Mark, Sam, Jamie and our brilliant stable team members in Matamata and Cranbourne.

She won both her starts as a two-year-old including the Group 2 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie, then won Group One races as a 3YO, 4YO and 5YO – including breaking two track records in Melbourne! A total of 10 Group One wins, six in Australia and four in New Zealand.

She was Champion 3YO and Champion Sprinter/Mile as a 4YO last season and you'd think she would be in  contention for further career honours when this season ends.

Saturday was so special because we also won the Group One Manatwatu Sires' Produce - what a sight to behold seeing Move to Strike flying home in the race which was staged this year at Trentham. This was the sixth time in the last seven years that we have won this prestigious race, with eight wins in total.

Move to Strike is now a very valuable Group One winning son of I am Invincible and, like Imperatriz, is out of the mare by Sharmadale.

I bought him at the Magic Millions for A$525,000. He will now spell and get ready for the Group One New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton and then will go to Melbourne for the Group One Australian Guineas.

Being a colt, and by one of the best sires in the world – there are many studs already interested in standing him.  The phone ran read hot after his win.

It's a massive weekend for the team and I reckon that te Akau has never had more venues with horses competing:

This weekend we have horses racing at Otaki, Riccarton, Woodville and Te Rapa in New Zealand ~ Sydney (Royal Randwick), Bendigo, Adelaide, Terang and Pakenham in Australia, and Krani in Singapore.

In total we have 41 runners representing the team!

While I was away in Sydney, we had 10mls of rain and it is just amazing how the grass has taken off. We are going into winter in great shape grass wise.

Next week we are selling 2 units of Prime Steers (80) and this week we sold 450 lambs that killed out at 18.3kg making them worth approx. $110.

It's been a very busy week - Karyn returned to Sydney last might, after having driven to Matamata on Friday to be guest speaker at the Pohlen Hospital fundraising luncheon, and then heading back to the airport.  It's a highly valued private hospital based in Matamata and does a wonderful job for the local community.  It is reliant on fundraising so Karyn was very keen to support their endeavours and said it was a wonderful occasion.

Best of luck to all our owners with runners this weekend, there are certainly plenty to follow  and ...

GO THE TANGERINE!