Ellis on Front Foot

Dennis Ryan of The Informant reports:

There's no denying the enthusiasm David Ellis has for racing and his ability to draw others into his mindset.

Last Saturday at Riccarton, Xtravagant gave Ellis and his Te Akau Racing operation perfect invigoration heading into the summer season when he came up with a freakish performance in the Sothys New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

And it wasn't only the huge margin and race record time that meant this was much more than a fifth win by a Te Akau runner in the first classic of the New Zealand season.

“For many different reasons it was a highlight for Te Akau,” Ellis told The Informant as he reflected on Xtravagant's win for new training partners Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards and stable jockey Matt Cameron.

“It's no secret that we had a bad virus go through the stable last season. It was very frustrating when we would get horse after horse up for racing and then scope it and have to turn it out.

“Our owners were so understanding through it all, so to see the team hit their straps like they have this season and come up with a win like that on Saturday, it's wonderful for everyone involved.

“For Steve and Jamie and everyone else working so well together to get these results is tremendously satisfying and I'm just thrilled for Matt to get his first Guineas at Riccarton. He has been a loyal part of the team and until now things had worked against him when it came to deciding which horse to ride.

“I wanted him to ride Burgundy when Rock 'N' Pop won and he opted for Spellbinder when Costa Viva won the 1000 Guineas, so to see him get the win on Xtravagant was great.”

While Cameron, the winner of the last two jockeys' premierships, has been a constant in the Te Akau operation for several years, the Autridge-Richards partnership has been in place for just six months. In a surprise move last April, they replaced Jason Bridgman, who had succeeded Mark Walker when he relocated to set up Te Akau's Singapore stable in 2010.

During more than a decade at the helm of the New Zealand operation, Walker won five premierships, the last when he set a new record of 108 wins in 2009-10. He is now eyeing his first Singapore title, with 75 wins and a buffer of nine on closest rival Michael Freedman as the calendar year season end looms.

“It's so satisfying to see Steve and Jamie leading the New Zealand premiership and for Mark to also be on top of the table in Singapore,” says Ellis. “When we made the decision to establish the stable at Kranji, it was natural to expect that to have an impact on the number wins we would have in New Zealand.

“So for Te Akau to be in its present position leading both premierships gives me a lot of pride.”

Xtravagant is one of a group of colts purchased as yearlings by Ellis with the intention to develop them with stallion careers in mind. The $375,000 son of Pentire and Zabeel mare Axiom made significant inroads with his Riccarton victory and will take that to another level in the second half of the season.

“The phone has been going hot with people wanting to buy him, but at this stage he's not for sale,” Ellis revealed. “He was bought with a plan and now we want to execute that plan.

“He arrived at the farm on Tuesday in fantastic order after his big trip south and he will return to work and be prepared for the Levin Classic at Trentham in January and then the Australian Guineas at Flemington.

“Those two races are over 1600 metres and all going to plan he will get his chance to step up to the Derby distance. He's blessed with a wonderful constitution and it's exciting to think what he's capable of.”

While the exploits of the Te Akau racing team continue to be a major focus, Ellis is also preparing for one of the busiest aspects of his annual schedule, sourcing the next batch of talent for his operation. Stage one will be next week's New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, followed by the final inspection rounds leading into the National Yearling Sale back at the same venue in late January.

“I just love heading to Karaka knowing the quality that will be going through the ring there. Karaka has been the source of so many of our top horses and I will be active at the Ready to Run Sale and then we'll be working our way through the yearling catalogue.

“It's always an exciting time of year and with everything going so well at the moment I just couldn't be happier.”