Te Akau secure South Island Trainers’ Premiership

[jess]

Strange headline on the Loveracing site.

I understood Te Akau to be a syndicating entity - with the horses they race sporting the colors of that syndicating entity & being trained by trainers appointed by the entity.  Te Akau is not a trainer.  So I'm confused as to how they can win a trainers' premiership.

J. 

. 

 

[Huey]

31 minutes ago, jess said:

Strange headline on the Loveracing site.

I understood Te Akau to be a syndicating entity - with the horses they race sporting the colors of that syndicating entity & being trained by trainers appointed by the entity.  Te Akau is not a trainer.  So I'm confused as to how they can win a trainers' premiership.

J. 

. 

 

Amazing achievement!!

[Doomed]

2 hours ago, jess said:

Strange headline on the Loveracing site.

I understood Te Akau to be a syndicating entity - with the horses they race sporting the colors of that syndicating entity & being trained by trainers appointed by the entity.  Te Akau is not a trainer.  So I'm confused as to how they can win a trainers' premiership.

J. 

. 

 

Very good point. It is actually Walker and Bergeson who won the premiership, and they train for others as well as Te Akau don't they?. Isn't Fortuna a separate operation? And I'm sure I've seen them train other horses that Te Akau aren't involved in.

[jess]

Well - as a buffoon I encountered once said - never let the facts get in the way of the relentless pursuit of publicity (free or otherwise), promotion and self aggrandisement! 😜! 

Or - for that matter - in the way of sycophants who support the said relentless pursuit!  

And to be clear - I do note that the article is attributed to one Joshua Smith from the Loveracing NZ News Desk. Not the first (or last) :journo to play fast 'n' loose with the facts.

Now my fellow BOAYarners - I'm not personally acquainted with Joshua - but whatever's going on here - & whoever has decided on the content & the title for the article which headlines the syndicator so prominently (albeit, inaccurately) - I can confirm there is no truth in the rumor that "Joshua Smith" is a writer's pseudonym for Karen F-E.

J. 

[Chief Stipe]

4 hours ago, jess said:

Strange headline on the Loveracing site.

I understood Te Akau to be a syndicating entity - with the horses they race sporting the colors of that syndicating entity & being trained by trainers appointed by the entity.  Te Akau is not a trainer.  So I'm confused as to how they can win a trainers' premiership.

J. 

. 

 

Aren't you and @Freda splitting hairs?  That aside the point you are trying to make escapes me.

[jess]

I don't believe we are, Chief - & to be fair to Freda - she's only emoji'd my post so perhaps limit any criticism you feel is due to me - as the author of the original post.  But I have been awaiting / expecting you to weigh in on this!  

I get it - that if the actual trainer who won trains exclusively or predominantly TA horses - TA is likely to warrant a mention in the article. 

However.  "Te Akau" does not appear in any directory of trainers I can consult if I am looking to place a horse with a trainer.  Nor do they appear on the list of trainers on the NZTR site.  So surely they are therefore ineligible to win a trainers' premiership - and to say they did is erroneous.

Just as I think we can safely say, on 30 July - that the NZ winner of the trainers' premiership is Walker & Bergerson.  It is not Te Akau.

 

 

[Chief Stipe]

9 minutes ago, jess said:

However.  "Te Akau" does not appear in any directory of trainers I can consult if I am looking to place a horse with a trainer.  Nor do they appear on the list of trainers on the NZTR site.  So surely they are therefore ineligible to win a trainers' premiership - and to say they did is erroneous.

Just as I think we can safely say, on 30 July - that the NZ winner of the trainers' premiership is Walker & Bergerson.  It is not Te Akau.

You are splitting hairs.  Both Mark and Sam are employed by Te Akau.  When running a large corporate organisation such as Karyn and David do ALL employees deserve credit for the success of winning the Premiership.

Mark and Sam would be the first to acknowledge that their success is due to the effort of a very big team.

But then let's split hairs over a headline.

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Doomed said:

Very good point. It is actually Walker and Bergeson who won the premiership, and they train for others as well as Te Akau don't they?. Isn't Fortuna a separate operation? And I'm sure I've seen them train other horses that Te Akau aren't involved in.

Are you serious?

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Doomed said:

Isn't Fortuna a separate operation?

It is a separate syndicator i.e. owner but the horses are selected and bid on by Ellis and trained by Te Akau trainers.

No different to Go Racing.

What is your point?

Te Akau is a Corporate Brand.  Probably they only one in NZ Racing.

[Doomed]

48 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

It is a separate syndicator i.e. owner but the horses are selected and bid on by Ellis and trained by Te Akau trainers.

No different to Go Racing.

What is your point?

Te Akau is a Corporate Brand.  Probably they only one in NZ Racing.

I wasn't making a point. I was asking a question. I know nothing at all about the inner workings of Te Akau. It is of very little interest to me. I just had a feeling I had seen Walker and Co train horses that aren't owned by Te Akau.

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Aren't you and @Freda splitting hairs?  That aside the point you are trying to make escapes me.

Poor old Freda, walking past minding her own business and gets a blast.

[jess]

You're nothing if not predictable, Chief when it comes to certain topics.  Bless ....😝

Let's agree to differ on this.  You don't have to have a crack at everyone who advances a respectfully put view or position.  If that's what we were into, we'd have stayed somewhere else instead of migrating to BOAY .....

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

I wasn't making a point. I was asking a question. I know nothing at all about the inner workings of Te Akau. It is of very little interest to me. I just had a feeling I had seen Walker and Co train horses that aren't owned by Te Akau.

So you stated a fact but what does it have to do with the Topic?  Or anything for that matter. The reality is Te Akau as an entity don't actually very many horses at all.  Their horses aren't leased they are owned by syndicate members.  Just like Fortuna.  Now there are others who Lease horses and don't actually put any dosh up front.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

Poor old Freda, walking past minding her own business and gets a blast.

Poor old @Freda - she's such a fragile individualin her older years.  How condescending of you.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, jess said:

You're nothing if not predictable, Chief when it comes to certain topics.  Bless ....😝

Let's agree to differ on this.  You don't have to have a crack at everyone who advances a respectfully put view or position.  If that's what we were into, we'd have stayed somewhere else instead of migrating to BOAY .....

Jess you haven't actually made it very clear what your pont is.  

[Huey]

17 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

So you stated a fact but what does it have to do with the Topic?  Or anything for that matter. The reality is Te Akau as an entity don't actually very many horses at all.  Their horses aren't leased they are owned by syndicate members.  Just like Fortuna.  Now there are others who Lease horses and don't actually put any dosh up front.

Can't you just enjoy the spoils of this incredible achievement by this stable like the rest of us CS? 

I'm not sure if you're having a go at my favourite stable or not for their amazing success here , but if you are please cut it out! They deserve the plaudits for this , please respect that.

[Chief Stipe]

19 minutes ago, Huey said:

Can't you just enjoy the spoils of this incredible achievement by this stable like the rest of us CS? 

I'm not sure if you're having a go at my favourite stable or not for their amazing success here , but if you are please cut it out! They deserve the plaudits for this , please respect that.

Good to see you have come out of the dark side!  NZ Racing must be on the up with you finally on board.  I gather you have a share in a fine animal.

[Chief Stipe]

Te Akau Wins South Island Trainers' Premiership 🍊

 

NZ Racing News reports:

 

Te Akau Racing’s Matamata stable has been a dominant force in New Zealand racing, but over the last couple of years, Te Akau principal David Ellis has cast his eye further afield. 

 

New Zealand’s leading stable has subsequently established a permanent presence at Cranbourne in Australia and Riccarton Park in Christchurch, where they have recorded immediate success. 

 

Christchurch has long been a strategic stronghold for Te Akau, but 18 months ago Ellis elected to have a permanent base in the Garden City, and lured former stable employee Hunter Durrant back from Australia to head their Riccarton Park barn. 

 

In their first full season in Christchurch, Te Akau’s South Island base recorded 45 wins from permanent stable residents, giving them their first South Island Trainer’s Premiership. 

 

Durrant was rapt to secure the title for his employers and said it was a rewarding result for his hardworking team. 

 

“It is a great pleasure,” he said. “We have got a great team of staff down here, they work really hard all year round. We don’t quieten down a lot over winter with the poly, so there are some long, cold days and they keep going for us.” 

 

Durrant has overseen the Riccarton barn from its inception nearly 18 months ago and he has been delighted with its progress over that time. 

 

“It is approaching 18 months of a full-time stable down here for us,” he said. “It has taken a while to get systems and everything into place to be able to create a good environment down here for the horses, and we have got a pretty good system now.  

 

“They come in and they settle in really well, and I think that is a key to it when they come down here.” 

 

While their wins didn’t contribute to Te Akau’s South Island tally, Durrant said his biggest highlights this season came over New Zealand Cup week. 

 

“Captured By Love winning the Group One (New Zealand 1000 Guineas, 1600m) was up there, also Mehzebeen winning both the Metropolitan (Listed, 2600m) and New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) was pretty special.” 

 

Durrant also experienced a professional highlight this season when promoted to assistant trainer to Te Akau Racing’s Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. 

 

“That was a great surprise when David (Ellis) spoke to me about taking onboard that role,” Durrant said. “I have to thank him a lot, he has supported me for years now and I am forever grateful to him, Karyn (Fenton-Ellis), Mark (Walker), and Sam (Bergerson).” 

 

Their southern haul was also instrumental in Te Akau securing the National Trainers’ Premiership, with an overall tally of 131 wins, 27 ahead of Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh with just one meeting to go at Cambridge on Wednesday.  

 

“We try our best all year round,” Durrant said. “Even the last couple of months we have really surged ahead with the poly racing, which always helps. We have got quite a strong poly team down here over the winter to keep us going.” 

 

Durrant is enjoying life in Christchurch, and he is excited about the new term, with spring racing just around the corner. 

 

“It is a great place to live and train, and I am looking forward to the seasons to come,” he said. 

 

“We had a grass gallop session this (Tuesday) morning and we are starting to get on better tracks. You can definitely see the end of winter and it is exciting.”

 

Main photo ~ Perfect Scenario

[TAB For Ever]

3 hours ago, Doomed said:

I wasn't making a point. I was asking a question. I know nothing at all about the inner workings of Te Akau. It is of very little interest to me. I just had a feeling I had seen Walker and Co train horses that aren't owned by Te Akau.

Indeed they do train for other owners ........but the BRAND is very strong and very important hence they predictably keep it to the forefront of any publicity.I feel the article re the South Island win gets the brand up front and then deflects much credit to the Christchurch foreman /  Asst trainer HDurrant  who oversees that stable. And it an advert to let people know the Southern stable is currently there to stay and not just a motel for their Northern based horses.

I liken the strong brand recognition similar to Harness kingpin Mark Purdon who has been in partnership with various folk ,most recently his son Nathan. They often referred to as the Allstars....a strong brand !

Then the mighty All Blacks brand , they  represent and play against mainly other countries who are known by Ireland ,France ,England etc . All Blacks not a country ,ditto the Springboks.

Back to Te Akau , I see where they have bought 72 young horses this year........quite extraordinary really ,so they need strong brand recognition to syndicate all those .