Te Akau Weekend Update

David writes:

Another week and more winners for both of our teams - I think the whole team is starting to descend from Cloud 9 with Gingernuts' scintillating victory in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas in Sydney last Saturday.  He has come through that race well and is on target to contest the $2 million Australian Derby in a weeks' time.  Karyn and I are looking forward to being in Sydney with a big contingent of the “G-nuts” team to cheer him and Opie Bosson on.

Make no mistake, we have a very good horse on our hands - however the Derby will be a tough 2400m assignment with a number of “fresh legs” who are coming straight in to the contest ready for battle - nonetheless we have a happy, healthy and fit little ‘nut' and we know he will leave nothing out there and give it his all.

While Gingernuts was flying the tangerine flag in Australia last weekend, Te Akau's international influence was also to the fore at Kranji with Mark Walker training two further winners (including a quinella on Sunday) thus maintaining his position on top of the Trainers' Premiership. All kudos to Mark, Gus, Karen, Robbie and the whole team - they do a superb job in Singapore and keep the Te Akau reputation to the fore.

In New Zealand we saw Astrid win at Te Rapa on Saturday and that gave Te Akau three wins in three countries in under 24 hours!  

The winning has continued this week with Matt Cameron riding Scarlet Princess to victory for us at Pukekohe - becoming our xx new Zealand winner for the season.

Our New Zealand team is also doing a sterling job as unlike Singapore, we have long distances to travel - and the team is always right up to speed no matter where we are having to go to race - Ruakaka to Riccarton, Trentham to Te Teko, Auckland to Awapuni.

Speaking of which - did you know that next Saturday we will likely have FOUR Te Akau two year olds contesting the Group 1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni?  As one of our  senior team members said - “that's five Group 1 competitors in one day” (with Gingernuts again stepping out in Sydney) - that's an accomplishment that we are truly proud of - getting these types of results for our owners is so very satisfying.

Stephen and Jamie, our New Zealand trainers, currently lie second on the Trainers' Premiership, as I mentioned having trained 66 winners for the season.  Nine of these have been Group or Listed events plus Gingernuts makes 10 but his win doesn't add to the New Zealand tally!  Nor does his Australian prize money however - Te Akau has still won more stake money fin New Zealand for our owners this season than any other stable.

Karyn and I always eagerly look forward to every race day when we have Te Akau horses stepping out.  While it is not feasible for us to have an ‘actual' interest in every horse in our stable, we do have a REAL interest in each and every one of them.

We get a very special thrill when a horse that the team and I have selected salutes the judge.  Having watched and followed those horses since (in some cases) they were born, or at least since they were very young, I have a real sense of satisfaction that we have achieved this for our owners.  I know how much our team enjoys these successes too as they are the people who have been with each horse since the day they were broken in - training them, tending them, feeding them, shoeing them, grooming them - ensuring their health, well-being and happiness is at an optimum.

For us the calls, emails and texts from owners who are so excited by their horses' performance is what racing is all about.  We know there is nothing like that winning feeling and you know, that's what we keep aiming for, every time we take your horses to the races.

We are also very proud when horses that we are entrusted with by their owners to train, do the business on the track.  For example, yesterday's winner Alamosa Express was bred by Dr Ronald Boet of Christchurch who also bred his half brother Hushed (who we also train and who has had a terrific season).  Ronald gave us Alamosa Express to train and he is now two wins from two starts for him and we could not be more thrilled.

In many cases we also train horses that studs have not sold or have elected to keep as perhaps they are not necessarily selling options for various reasons.  They may have been injured before the sales or may have had conformation issues - in other cases they are being retained by the stud to try and establish a successful racing record so that they will later join and strengthen and renew that stud's blue ribbon broodmare band.

Te Akau is honoured to train horses for a number of prominent New Zealand and Australian studs - for example Cambridge Stud, Waikato Stud, Pencarrow Stud, Windsor Park Stud, Mapperly Stud and Wentwood Grange and Valachi Downs in New Zealand and Coolmore Australia as well as Arrowfield and Newgate Farm just to name a few.

It's been a busy week on the farm with plenty of owners, new and existing, coming to see their young horses.  We have also had our first group of colts and fillies from the sale start their breaking in.  This is a really interesting time for the team as we start to see what promise lies within each one of these youngsters.  It is also a crucial stage in their early careers.

Karyn was away for the farm for over a week - after Auckland Cup Day last Thursday, she jumped on the plane to Sydney to represent us at Rosehill and then was back to Auckland at midnight Sunday for “Weigh In' which is recorded on Monday morning.  Straight after the show was finished, she was back to Auckland airport to fly to Timaru as her mother is unwell and she has spent some very special days with Sylvia down south, flying back to Auckland on Friday night and then back to the farm.

She is looking forward to going to “Adele” with our daughter Julia-Rose on Sunday night and then it's Weigh In again on Monmday before being home for four days and then we head off to Sydney.

I will certainly be looking at buying at the Sydney Sale in just over a week's time … so make sure you keep a close watch on our website where we will publish details of any yearlings that we have shares available in.

Again thank you for all your wonderful messages of support and congratulations when Gingernuts won both the NZ Derby and the Rosehill Guineas -  we truly appreciate your kindness.