Dear members, partners, sponsors and colleagues,
In a period where industries are being shaken by the continued uncertainty of war and fast-climbing inflation, the entities within TAK Group of Companies are steering a safe path.
Our established companies, Teo A. Khing Design Consultants and China Horse Club, are well positioned to continue building upon past achievements. The Alpina Mountain Resort’s properties, The Alpina and Alpina Lodge, have pivoted post Covid-19 and are thriving. While The Chase has diversified its revenue streams and will soon have an expanded capacity with the integration of its neighbouring property.
As our group prepares to move into its third decade of operations in 2023, it is comforting to know that we are well placed to manage potential headwinds and to move on to new opportunities.
This capacity and adaptability are only possible because of the commitment, dedication, energy and belief each of you has demonstrated, most particularly in recent years. This support has fortified us and strengthened us and I thank you for that.
CHINA HORSE CLUB - BREEDING
In previous seasons talismanic performers of the gravitas of Justify, Abel Tasman, Australia, Improbable, Dissident, Russian Revolution and co may have cast the achievements of our breeding divisions into shadows. But in 2022, even accounting for the racing successes led by Life Is Good and State of Rest, that is certainly not the case. New high watermarks have been set through the achievements of our sales programme and our graduates.
Record yearling sales results in Australia, USA and Europe have been driven by the Club’s growing reputation as a breeder and the elevation of its international stallion portfolios. These twin influences have positioned us to capitalize on surging demand for elite stock across major markets.
- Seven figure yearlings: Australia (AUD1,300,000 Zoustar x Pirapala colt);
- USA (USD1,800,000 Constitution x Last Full Measure colt) and (USD1,300,000 Constitution x Cozze Up Lady colt).
- Record graduate auction result: Saffron Beach (Guineas 3,600,000 / USD4,550,000).
GRADUATES RESULTS
Our breeding programmes are blossoming with maturity and it is rewarding to see graduates winning six group/graded races and placing in a further six group/graded stakes races this year.
The established G1 winners Saffron Beach and Kimari are once again at the fulcrum of our achievements. Their qualities have been recognized by the market. The former selling for 3,600,000 guineas (USD4,550,000) in early December and the latter for USD2,700,000 last year. It is also highly exciting to see the buds of the next generation led by the Australian based Revolutionary Miss, the lightly raced Communist and precocious Perfect Proposal.
CHINA HORSE CLUB - RACING
It is a snapshot in time, but there is no doubting that this year China Horse Club and its respective partners were blessed to race both one of the best dirt horses seen for many years in Life Is Good and one of the premier turf warriors in State of Rest in the same calendar year. Collectively, this duo snared five time-honoured G1 events ahead of retiring to take up stallion duties in 2023.
Highlights:
- Life Is Good: CHC’s highest ever prizemoney earner
- State of Rest: Winner of four G1s across three different continents
- 1st G1 success at Royal Ascot - £1,000,000 G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (State of Rest)
- 1st success in USD3,000,000 G1 Pegasus World Cup (Life Is Good)
It is a true testament to the extraordinary talents of Life Is Good that Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and future Hall of Fame jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. called him the best they have ever trained and ridden, respectively. At the close, Life Is Good retires to WinStar Farm as the highest prizemoney earner China Horse Club has ever raced.
State of Rest has crafted his own brand having retired as the only Thoroughbred in history to win three successive G1s on three different continents. His trainer Joseph O’Brien said, “State of Rest was without question a remarkably talented, durable and consistent performer. We asked a huge amount of him throughout his career and he delivered every time.”
We are immensely excited to add Life Is Good and State of Rest to our stallion portfolio in 2023.
THE CHASE
The undoubted sadness of this year has been the well documented loss of our friend and employee Kerrie Vantijn. Kerrie, 47, was the General Manager at The Chase for 14 months. In that time, she was instrumental in fast tracking its growth as a commercial centre, in positioning it as a first choice agistment provider and in developing it as a sales consignor.
Ahead of her tragic passing, Kerrie had overseen the preparation of yearlings at the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale. It is a credit to her and to the team she managed that, at its first foray as a consignor, The Chase led 72 vendors by average and was also the leading vendor by gross on the first day of trading.
With a nod to the past, we turn to the future of The Chase, now led by the highly accomplished Alex Kingston. Alex’s capabilities have been well demonstrated over almost two decades across the United States and Australia. It is a credit to her that she has seamlessly moved into the role of Stud Manager and has led the continued development of this key arm of our group with the support of Assistant Managers Jose Ramos, Johno Scott and an enthusiastic team.
To that end, star mare Dame Giselle (4x G2 winner; winner of the ATC Princess Series), was the first of 20 exceptional mares to foal down this spring at The Chase. It is an entrée to a new direction for the farm as a dedicated broodmare and youngstock facility, which will continue to grow further in the coming seasons.
As part of that growth, The Chase is preparing its maiden consignment of yearlings for the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Fourteen of the most precocious CHC-breds from the 2021 foal crop will take their place at this must attend season opener to the Southern Hemisphere yearling sales’ season.
In 2023, the further development of The Chase continues through the amalgamation and upgrading of a newly acquired adjacent property. Plans have been lodged for the enhancement of this 100-acre farm which we believe will present exciting possibilities and also strengthen the commercial equine footprint of the NSW Southern Highlands.
TEO A. KHING DESIGN CONSULTANTS
Twelve years on from completing Dubai’s defining Meydan Racecourse and grandstand, it is exciting for Teo A. Khing Design Consultants (TAK) to be engaged for another racing centric master plan. Projects of this scale and sophistication are rare and because of this they also carry with them a national significance.
It is premature to publicize Siam Gold Bay City beyond stating that TAK is master-planning the 1,600-acre project and that its beating heart will be the Royal Turf Club of Thailand under Royal Patronage.
TAK has demonstrated its capabilities in this space and I have ever faith that it will exceed expectations once again.
THE ALPINA MOUNTAIN RESORT
A rare silver lining from a 20-month Covid-19 enforced lockdown of the Alpina Mountain Resort was that its reopening allowed me to experience the wonders of Tschiertschen and the majesty of its setting with fresh eyes all over again.
Superlatives can pour onto a page, but they fail to capture the natural blessings gifted to this region of the world. There is a spirit to the hamlet of Tschiertschen that is unmistakable and felt with every visit. This spirit infuses the warmth of the local villagers, with the stunning naturalness of the region and the freedom of the Swiss Alps. These qualities have seeped into the fibres of The Alpina which has stood on these mountains since 1897.
These are the qualities that first drew me to The Alpina and which have encouraged me to recommend it to family, close friends and partners on countless occasions as a destination to take time out, refresh and replenish physically, mentally and emotionally. Since its reopening, it has been rewarding to see the Alpina is being utilized by a growing audience in this way.
Now under new management, its two divisions, The Alpina and The Alpina Lodge, have created their own momentum and are thriving. Importantly, this is being recognized by guests and the wider industry alike.
In 2021, the Alpina Mountain Resort was nominated by Connoisseur Circle and included in 2022 among the ‘Best Hotels’ in Switzerland. I’m delighted that The Alpina has been included once again this year in such an esteemed industry annal and is assessed as “better than ever before” under the category ‘Hideaways with Flair’.
At the 2022 Swiss Location Award, The Alpina received a response of 8.5/10 from visitors, event organizers and an independent jury of experts. A weighty assessment among the luxury segment for a Three-Star Superior hotel. It is rewarding to see that, in line with these sentiments, The Alpina and Alpina Lodge are fully booked into the new year.
Most of the entities within TAK Group of Companies generate energy to ‘create’ or ‘service’ or ‘develop’. The Alpina Mountain Resort is different. It has a focus on inner balance, nature, health and enjoyment and does so in a setting like no other. In short, it ‘rewards’ and we are so thankful for that.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Positivity is engrained within TAK Group of Companies. Over almost 30 years, this DNA has emboldened us to look beyond the horizon countless times and has inspired us to realize aspirations often deemed preposterous.
With our gaze set upon the Year of the Rabbit we see possibilities and potential even among potential adversity. Our own history has shown that the most durable foundations are set during the toughest of times. So, there is every reason to believe that hard work endured in 2023 will be foundational to future successes.
