Te Akau Weekend Update

David writes:

Te Akau Racing got off to a fantastic start to the New Year with Mark Walker winning three races in Singapore on Thursday - the first raceday of the new Singapore season.  All three winners were educated at Te Akau Racing at Matamata and this underlines to everyone how our system is really working.

Our three winners and four placegetters earned $122,885 in stakes in just one afternoon with Jimmy Rea claiming a $75,000 maiden race - further evidence of just how lucrative Singapore stables are for our owners!

Here is the link to the Singapore Trainers' Premiership after the 1 January meeting:

http://www.turfclub.com.sg/Racing/Pages/Premiership.aspx

Ellerslie races on New Year's Day were a huge success and well done to the Auckland Racing Club.  There was terrific racing and a great crowd enjoyed premier racing on a track that was in excellent shape.

Rockfast ran a super race for a very close second to Volkstock'n'barrel in the $100,000 Group 2 Great Northern Guineas - with a gutsy run by our filly No Tricks to finish fourth in that same race, backing up from Boxing Day.  Rockfast was having his first start for 7.5 weeks and I think our son of Fastnet Rock's real potential will start to emerge once he gets up to 2000m, with 2400m being perfect for him.

This week we are back on the yearling inspection trail - I am again flat stick looking at yearlings all over the North Island.  On Monday we visit Milan Park, Longlands, Monovale and The Oaks Stud.  On Tuesday I will be at Bradbury, Seaton Park, Rich Hill and Valachi Downs.  Then  Wednesday is spent at the farm while on Thursday it is Curraghmore then Phoenix Park followed by Pencarrow.  On Friday we finish the week with Windsor Park and Brighthill.

Then on Saturday I will be the proudest man in the world as Joanna my eldest daughter is getting married and I am thrilled that I will be giving her away.  She is visiting the farm for lunch tomorrow with her soon-to-be husband Leon and his parents.

Speaking of pride - and we know he is brimming with it - well done to Luke Edmonds, our equine supervisor here at the farm, who snared his first hole-in-one at the Raglan Golf Club yesterday - brilliant!!

Karyn and I hope you have all had a great New Year and we are certainly looking forward to the month of January which is probably one of our busiest but most enjoyed months of the year!