Canterbury Belle Stakes a Sister Act

The Informant's Richard Edmunds writes in this week's breeding section of the popular racing publication:

Black-type success is nothing new for Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis but Windborne's dominant three-length victory in Saturday's Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton was something slightly out of the ordinary.

Ellis and his wife Karyn Fenton-Ellis bred the Darci Brahma filly, who is trained by Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards for the Fortuna Windborne Syndicate.

Ellis and Fenton-Ellis also bred Windborne's full-sister Darci's Dream, who remarkably won the same race last year before placing in the Gr. 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.

“It was a fantastic result, we were thrilled,” Ellis told The Informant. “It was great to breed the winner last year with Darci's Dream, and to do it again with her sister Windborne this year is even better.”

Windborne is now the winner of three of her five starts. The Canterbury Belle Stakes was her second black-type win, having won the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes at Avondale last season.

Ellis said Windborne looked like something special from a very early age.

“I remember Windborne very clearly, she was a standout from the day she was born and she was the most beautiful foal we've bred here on the farm,” he said.

“We've bred some good ones, like Distinctly Secret, Special Mission, the Queensland Oaks winner Crystal Palace and Alan Jones's Auckland Cup winner Our Unicorn. But Windborne was the best. She was just amazing.”

Windborne and Darci's Dream are daughters of the Van Nistelrooy mare Sweet Dreams Baby, who Ellis and his wife have leased from her breeder Sir Peter Vela.

“When Darci Brahma was retired to stud, I wanted to have a few more mares to send to him,” explained Ellis, who bought Darci Brahma for $1.1 million as a yearling in 2004. “We bought some mares and leased some others, and Sweet Dreams Baby was one of those.”

Sweet Dreams Baby was unraced but has made a tremendous start to her breeding career. All four of her foals to race have been winners.

“Her first two foals were by Saperavi and they have been winners in Singapore,” Ellis said. “They're both nice horses without being exceptional. It's the mating with Darci Brahma that really seems to click.”

Darci's Dream and Windborne were both sold at the Select Yearling Sale at Karaka. Darci's Dream was offered by Phoenix Park in 2013 and was sold to John Galvin's Fortuna Bloodstock for $45,000. A year later Windborne was offered by Goodwood stud and sold to Fortuna for $100,000.

“It was great to see John Galvin buy them, and particularly Windborne, because we knew that we would get them to train,” Ellis said.

Sweet Dreams Baby's next mating was to Alamosa, with the resulting colt considered a promising two-year-old. Like his older sisters, he is owned by Fortuna and trained by Autridge and Richards.

“The Alamosa colt is a lovely two-year-old, he looks to be one of our better prospects for after Christmas,” Ellis said. “The following year Sweet Dreams Baby went to Burgundy but unfortunately she slipped. She's booked for Darci Brahma again this season.”

Windborne is currently rated the $8.50 third favourite for the Gr. 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. Darci's Dream beat all but Platinum Witness in the $300,000 classic last year, and Windborne will try to go one better than her big sister.

But Windborne is not Te Akau's only 1000 Guineas prospect. They also have the $6 second favourite Love Triangle, a beautifully bred daughter of Encosta De Lago and Love Diamonds who is owned by Coolmore and impressively won her only start. Another is Interstellar, a half-sister to last season's New Zealand Oaks' winner Savaria who finished second on debut before winning her second start by four and a half lengths at Taupo last week.

“We've currently got seven fillies pointing to the 1000 Guineas,” said Ellis, who has been involved through Te Akau Racing with three previous winners of the fillies' classic - Insouciant in 2007, King's Rose (2010) and Costa Viva (2013).

“We've got Windborne, Love Triangle and Interstellar, and there's also Risque who won her last start by 11 lengths, the Canterbury Belle Stakes' third placegetter Princess Davone, as well as Duchess Kate and Special Memories. It's an exciting time.”