Te Akau Racing confirmed on Thursday that G1 BCD Sprint and G1 Chipping Norton S. winner, Te Akau Shark, had lost his battle with ill health, having been retired late last year due to an eye infection which had progressed into blindness.
The 6-year-old gelding, known as Darryl around the stable, had a special place within the heart of Te Akau Racing supremo David Ellis, who raced him with a large syndicate of owners, including Cronulla Sharks NRL legend Paul Gallen.
"It is with immense pain and sadness that we announce that our beloved Te Akau Shark has lost his brave health battle," the Te Akau statement read.
"A true warrior, Darryl your heart and courage, your determination and kindness, lit up the lives of everyone privileged to know you – as well as those who admired you from afar. You made us laugh, you made us proud, you brought so much joy – we fell in love with you over and over again, every single day, with your quirky personality. Your owners, our team, the racing world.
"You changed lives and left your indelible hoof prints stamped all over our hearts. Our grief has no words." - Te Akau statement
"You changed lives and left your indelible hoof prints stamped all over our hearts. Our grief has no words.
"Rest in peace our beautiful boy at Te Akau Stud, forever to gallop across our vast, green pastures. We are shattered by your loss and will be eternally grateful to have had you, our great, red giant, in our lives. We miss you terribly.
"You will be with us always, and forever."
A Silent farewell
Valachi Downs also confirmed on Thursday that Silent Achiever, the winner of the G1 New Zealand Derby, as well as the G1 The BMW, Ranvet S. and New Zealand S., had passed away aged 12.
“We are saddened to share the news of the loss of our Champion mare Silent Achiever, who delivered us so many memorable performances during her exceptional racing career,” said breeder and owner Kevin Hickman. “She was a special mare who raced with heart and gave her all to every race.”
“She was a special mare who raced with heart and gave her all to every race.” - Kevin Hickman
Silent Achiever, a daughter of O'Reilly (NZ), was trained by Roger James and after breaking her maiden at Ellerslie in December 2011, would go on to win the G2 Championship S., the G3 Waikato Guineas and G2 Avondale Guineas before becoming the first filly since 1993 to win the New Zealand Derby.
She would run third in the G1 AJC Oaks, and the following spring recorded her first win in Australia, when victorious in the G2 Waterford Crystal Mile. She would contest many of Australasia's best staying races over the next 18 months but wouldn't win at the elite level again until March 2014, when claiming the New Zealand S. at Ellerslie.
At her next start, the then 5-year-old mare won the G1 Ranvet S. and followed that up with success in the G1 The BMW, beating another New Zealand champion in (It's A) Dundeel (NZ).
The highlight of her 6-year-old campaign was her third placing in the 2014 G1 Cox Plate.
She was crowned Champion New Zealand 3-year-old in 2011-12 and Champion New Zealand Stayer in 2013-14.
Upon her retirement James described Silent Achiever as the ultimate fighter, saying: “She’s the kind of mare that will bust her guts for you every time. She would run her heart out. I was privileged to train her.”
She would finish her career with 10 wins from 36 starts and over NZ$3.6 million in prizemoney.
“As a young horse she was just an average horse, pretty small, nothing that would stand out from the crowd. You’d never dream that she would one day turn into the racehorse she did. It’s a tough day for us as we reflect on her wonderful career, but we’re so thankful to have experienced breeding and owning a mare like her,” Hickman said.
Silent Achiever was sent to Europe to embark on her breeding career, but none of her progeny have yet made it to the track. Lady Faustina (GB), a daughter of Frankel (GB), is starting out on a breeding career of her own. There is a 3-year-old colt by Frankel, a 2-year-old colt by Galileo (Ire) and a yearling colt by Kingman (GB), all of whom are with Valachi Racing.
She is one of five winners from the mare Winning Spree (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), who also produced the stakes-placed Anotherchancetaken (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}).
From passed-in yearling to Group 1 star
Bred by Waikato breeder Darrel Hollinshead, Te Akau Shark was initially offered at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, where he passed in short of his NZ$70,000. Offered by Lyndhurst Farm at the NZB Ready to Run Sale after that year, Ellis picked him up for NZ$230,000.
He debuted for Jamie Richards, then working in partnership with Steven Autridge, with a win at Te Rapa in September 2017 and followed that up with a win at Matamata the following month. At his third start, he placed fourth in a G1 2000 Guineas at Riccarton.
He didn't return until he was a 4-year-old, winning a benchmark race at Hastings on the same day his illustrious stable companion, Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands), won her second Group 1 race in the Tarzino Trophy.
The following month, Te Akau Shark won his first stakes race, the G3 Red Badge Spring Sprint, and then became quite the boom horse when winning the G2 Coupland Bakeries Mile by 6l.
Te Akau Shark (NZ) as a 2-year-old
Ongoing soundness proved a challenge and again, he missed the autumn, not returning until the following August, where he was beaten narrowly in the G2 Foxbridge Plate.
He then headed to Australia where he ran placings in the G2 Tramway, the G1 Epsom H. and then the G1 Cox Plate at just his 10th start.
He broke his Group 1 drought in the BCD Sprint at Te Rapa last February in brilliant fashion and headed back to Australia where he won the G1 Chipping Norton S. beating star Kiwi-bred mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).
He would round off his career with a third in the G1 George Ryder S. and a fifth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S.
It was during this trip to Australia that Te Akau Shark picked up an infection which would end his career, and unfortunately lead to the complications by which he lost his life.
His 14-start career featured seven wins and over $1.5 million in prizemoney.
Te Akau Shark was out of G2 Waikato Gold Cup winner Bak de Chief (NZ) (Chief Bearheart {Can}), who has produced five winners in total. Among them is his younger full brother Baby Shark (NZ), who is owned by Te Akau, while there is a yearling full brother as well as a 2-year-old half-brother by Redwood (GB), called Gambu (NZ), which is in training with Chris Waller.
