Te Akau Weekend Update

Above: the joys of Spring at our Matamata stable - pictured by Stacey Bridgman

David writes:

It's been a busy time this last week programming all of these good horses that we are training but we have just about finalised where they are heading and this is our thinking:

Aspen (Alamosa/Kirin Belle) had a brief break after winning on debut and is being set for racing in December through to the Group 1 NZ Derby.  He is top class this colt as you can see in his winning picture below.

Chambord (below) a Zabeel gelding out of Miss Montjeu, who won his last start by five lengths will next race in the Listed Ray Coupland Stakes in Ashburton before lining up in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas.  He will be ridden in both races by top South Island rider Jamie Bullard who of course won the Guineas for up aboard Rock 'n' Pop.  No-one in the modern era rides Riccarton better than Jamie and he has an excellent strike rate in the Te Akau tangerine!

Costa Viva (below) will also run next in the Ray Coupland Stakes and this filly has really improved in the last few weeks - Matt Cameron will ride her.

Te Akau is proud of our track record in this race, having won this feature no fewer than seven times in the last decade or so.  We also have a great record in the 2000 Guineas - with Te Akau's winners including King's Chapel, Tell A Tale, Darci Brahma and Rock 'n' Pop.

Spellbinder (below) who impressed so many with her six length plus win in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie is also thriving.  She will have her next start in the Group 3 James and Annie Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa on Labour Day Monday.  This filly is jumping out of her skin and after her Te Rapa assignment she will head to Riccarton to contest the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas - a race we have won with Insouciant and King's Rose.  Both of these fillies went on to win the coveted NZ Bloodstock Filly of the Year title (which Te Akau fillies have claimed four times - Shikoba and Princess Coup as well). Either Matt Cameron or Leith Innes will ride her.

All Decked Out (below), who went OH SO CLOSE to winning the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas last weekend when beaten a nose, is heading to Wellington for its Guineas en route to Riccarton. he has come through the trip to Hawkes Bay in great order.  Matt Cameron will ride him.

Also travelling to Wellington for the Guineas will be King's Rock (below).  We are in discussion with two top riders who will confirm on Sunday.  King's Rock is doing very well and is growing and developing all the time.  We were very happy with him last start in the Bonecrusher Stakes and you can expect plenty of improvement from him during the next month - he too will contest the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas.

The Canterbury Stakes is an option for King Savinsky after his run at Taupo on Wednesday and Fortuna manager John Galvin is chewing over the options with us for this exciting young horse's future.

Our Assistant Trainer Pam Gerard will be taking our team south where they will be stabled at Riccarton with Lance Robinson.  We will today be finalising which two year olds we send south - we have some exciting juveniles once again this season.

I can tell you that our stable has a real depth of talent and this is certainly not just confined to the horses I have mentioned thus far - there are a number of other Te Akau horses who are showing us real ability and talent in their work.  Exciting times!

We have now had 30mls of rain on the farm and although it is not particularly warm, the grass is really growing and the stock all look in magnificent order.

After a couple of bad days earlier this week, I am feeling much better today so I really hope I have turned the corner (they did say a couple of months tho - Ed)!

We have some really good chances with Mark and the Te Akau Singapore team over the weekend, starting tonight.  Mark has had a terrific season which of course ends on 31 December.  It's great to have Joao Moreira riding so many for us this weekend including our champion 2YO and star 3YO War Affair (below) on Sunday - what a loss Moreira will be to Singapore racing - but what a gain for Hong Kong!  War Affair, an O'Reilly colt that I purchased for $70,000 from Karaka, is looking to clean up the 3YO Championship Series.

All New Zealand racing pics courtesy of www.raceimages.co.nz & War Affair pic courtesy of Singapore Turf Club