Te Akau Tuesday Update
Date: 7 Mar 2017
David writes:
Well, what a truly remarkable week it has been for Te Akau Racing!
I am so humbled to be a part of such a great organisation. I stood in the Ellerslie birdcage bar to watch the Derby on my lucky TV screen and was just blown away with what a great job Steve and Jamie have done with Gingernuts. All credit to all of our staff - they are the true champions of our industry, people who get up at 3.30am and start work at 4.00am and work so hard.
After the horses went past the post I thought to myself 'well DC you have just won your first Derby' and I thought back to the first time I went to the Ellerslie racecourse with my great friend Dave Shorter. That was in 1971 and I went to the Easter meeting and on Saturday I was stunned as after watching the Derby I walked to the birdcage and it was quite unreal. The first person I saw was Dave Shorter. He and his brother Mark were my first two clients and we had a lot of fun over the years. Dave doesn't get to the races that often any more so it was a thrill to see him.
You wouldn't believe it now but Gingernuts was actually a difficult horse to syndicate. I bought two horses that year at the Ready To Run Sale, the other was Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame sold in under 24 hours while Gingernuts took around six weeks.
It is interesting that the week after to the Ready to Run Sales we had a cocktail party for our owners and paraded Gingernuts and there was minimal interest in him while people were very keen on Hall of Fame. Both are now Group 1 winners and both have also won a second stakes' race.
It's amazing that sometimes the longer a horse takes to sell, the harder the shares become to sell as people perhaps think there is 'something wrong' with the horse as it hasn't sold. Not True! The bottom line is that we buy horses with the idea of having 'stock in the shop window' all year round.
One of the people involved in selling Gingernuts was Blair Alexander and he got a team of his workmates involved and for some of these people, Gingernuts is their first horse. They really got into the spirit of Derby Day by producing tangerine caps with "G-Nuts" on them!
Below there is a video posted by one of these lucky owners, Kate Grigg - a member of the ‘G-Nuts' crew. Thank you for capturing this and sharing this moment with us which really shows the level of excitement. “We are retiring" has to be the quote of the day! It is a real thrill for these young owners to see such success in racing.
We do have some genuinely wonderful horses with shares still available and I can't help but be impressed with what I see as I go around the farm at the moment. So if you want to be involved in racing - in an industry where the success will change your life - Te Akau is the stable for you. You will have the best excitement you will ever have. Call me today on 07 825 4701.
It was also great to see Splurge win well on Saturday. He is a proper horse who has always shown a lot since day one and is as a good looking horse that you will ever see. He is raced by the owners of Xtravagant and we were thrilled to win the Group 3 Darley Plate for them as well on Saturday at Ellerslie.
Our focus now turns to the Group 1 Diamond Stakes' this weekend at Ellerslie where we have two runners, Melody Belle and Gold Fever. Unfortunately, Opie Bosson, our stable rider, is suspended so Michael McNab will be aboard Karaka Million winner Melody Belle and Cameron Lammas rides Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes' winner Gold Fever, a filly he has had previous success aboard. I hope that the heavy rain forecast for Auckland doesn't eventuate as these two fillies are both really good chances. We also have some really nice 2YOs to race at Awapuni in the Group 1 Sires' Produce feature there too.
After that our attention for the season turns to Brisbane where we are taking up to six horses to compete in the major races.
Yesterday, we had two aeroplanes spreading superphosphate and lime over the farm and now I am taking a few days to have a freshen up and get ready for what's around the corner. I am still available on the phone 021 925 151 so if you would like to ring and talk to me about getting involved in a yearling please give me a call.
For example, I have one of the nicest colts that you will ever see purchased from Monovale Farm. He is an Ocean Park colt who is out of a very good Danehill mare.
A 10% share is only $9,700 +GST and expenses and 5% is just 4,850 +GST. This includes sales' expenses at cost and all veterinary and xray inspections. I will tell you now, this Ocean Park colt will be a good horse in my mind - I am very confident as he has class written all over him. Ocean Park has already had his first winner so we are excited to have one of this quality in our stable.
