Wow What a Weekend!

David writes:

FIRSTLY - SEVEN WINS IN 48 HOURS!  WELL DONE TO THE WHOLE TE AKAU TEAM - six wins in Singapore for Mark and Gus and Karen and our team - and another Group 1 in New Zealand for Stephen and Jamie and our Kiwi crew!

Take a bow!

I would like to congratulate the CEO of the Auckland Racing Club Cameron George and his team for putting on such a great day's racing at Ellerslie on Saturday.

All the ingredients were there -

1. good stakes - a minimum stake of $50,000
2. a really good track
3. a huge crowd - as big as I can remember at Ellerslie in recent years
4. terrific atmosphere with everybody having a ton of fun.

Cameron is one racing administrator that is really making a difference!  He understands what is involved to make racing really great. He has a really good team around him and an example of that is how they opened up the course proper last Tuesday which enabled Heroic Valour and Sassy 'N' Smart (and other trainers' horses) to gallop on the course.

This past weekend has been a vintage weekend for Te Akau Racing.  Six winners in Singapore (three on Friday and three on Sunday) and a Group 1 in New Zealand. Mark Walker is back in front of the Trainers' Premiership in Singapore and Stephen and Jamie are well in front in the Trainers' Premiership in New Zealand and that makes Karyn and I just so proud of the team.

You might have noticed that Heroic Valour and Sassy 'N' Smart riders had black armbands on, on Saturday.  This was in memorial of Anna Campbell whose parents George and Diane Browne have had a long association with Te Akau Stud. George has worked as a builder for Te Akau since 1979 and with nine houses on Te Akau Stud it really is a full time job. George's wife Dianne was my first ever secretary, starting with me in 1984 and they both have been a huge part of the success that Te Akau has had and today I will be attending Anna's funeral in Kerikeri.  Just 49 and the wife of Grant and mother of two wonderful children, she suffered a brain aneurism last week and never regained consciousness - it is just so terribly sad for everyone.

So it was just our sign of respect for Anna and her loving and wonderful family - so it was poignant to see Heroic Valour fly home with an angel on his shoulder.

The win on Saturday was Te Akau's third victory in the Group 1 for the 2YOs.  It was a huge thrill to see Heroic Valour claim the Group 1 Sistema Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie as he also became Fastnet Rock's first ever Group 1 2YO winner abywhere in the world. I am a huge fan of Fastnet Rock since we trained Rock 'N' Pop and I thought Heroic Valour's win at Ellerslie was the effort of a colt really going places. As you can see he still has a lot to learn but he has the makings of a colt that won't have any trouble wining Group 1 races as a 3YO.

He has now raced three times for three wins - on debut at Trentham, then the Listed Matamata Slipper and now the Group 1 Diamond Stakes - what an exciting future he has.  He has come through Saturday's race in good shape, he cleaned up all his feed last night and our vet Doug Black reported this morning that he was in great order, a very happy horse. He will more than likely carry on to the only other Group 1 assignment for 2YOs in New Zealand - the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes in three weeks.

The other good news about Heroic Valour's win was that I liked him so much I went back to the Karaka Premier Sale this year and purchased his full brother for $510,000 and he is one of five colts in our Te Akau 2016 Breeding Syndicate.

In other news - back at Te Akau Stud Xtravagant is having a good break in a lovely green paddock and we will make a decision on our future plans with him later this week.

And finally - you do have to be quick - the new Pentire that we bought last week, the half brother to Time Keeper has now been completely sold - the final share snapped up today - thank you to everyone for your support!

Now who is going to help us put the "all sold" sign up on our Commands colt - he's a ripper and is impressing everyone at the track - and Commands is now dead, he left superb types - this is your FINAL CHANCE!