Te Akau Backs the Industry

When Te Akau principal David Ellis says he is ‘ecstatic', there has to be good reason.

The leading buyer at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Series for the past nine years, Ellis along with his Te Akau partner Mark Walker, recently purchased 43 yearlings for $8 million (GST inclusive) and only a month after the sales had already sold ninety percent of them - hence being pretty happy about it.

“We purchased ten percent of the lots in the Premier Sale, numerically, and more in dollar terms, and we bought from nineteen different drafts,” said Ellis.

“It's been unbelievable how quickly they've (yearlings) sold and the interest that's in them. They've sold well in the past couple of years, but we're ahead of that. We have had sixty five new owners so far, plus a lot of reinvestment from existing owners."

Since 1980, not only has Ellis established a sizeable landholding of 4000 acres (farming sheep and beef) at Te Akau, in the Waikato, but he has founded one of the biggest horse syndication businesses in the world with stables in New Zealand and Singapore.

He is a huge contributor to the New Zealand racing industry and a strong voice for the betterment of the sport.

“The Prime Minister (John Key) came and sat with me at the sales for twenty five minutes while I was buying the horses and I was able to give him a good insight into the problems, and also what was going well for the industry, and he was both very concerned and also very keen to see racing doing well,” said Ellis.

Ellis said Karaka 2014 was a ‘buyers market'. “The buyers this year got the value and they were able to buy as a good an individual as we've seen at Karaka for many a year.

“The sales would be a lot poorer without him,” said Andrew Seabrook, Managing Director at NZB.

“From a New Zealand buying bench point of view he has propped the sales up for many years now and it's incredible how he comes along and spends between five and seven million dollars, basically on spec. I know he has sold shares in certain syndicates leading up, but at the end of the day he is taking all the risk for millions of dollars and he is very good at what he does, working tirelessly at selling the horses. He has a huge impact and I hope it continues for everyone's sake: the vendors and the industry.

“And, he pays so promptly, too, which is great,” said Seabrook.

Petrea Vela, NZB Managing Director, said: “David (Ellis) has made a profound contribution to NZB's National Sales Series. He is active throughout every level of the market, and the success that has consistently flowed from both his NZ and Singapore stables at every level is testament to his skills”.

For the first time at the sales, Waikato Stud was the leading vendor by aggregate. Selling 46 yearlings for a total of $7,655,000 at an average of $166,413 won them the title.

“Of the six horses we bought from the Waikato Stud draft, we bought two horses by Savabeel (Zabeel) out of O'Reilly (Last Tycoon) mares which is a magic cross and has 26.5% stakes winners to starters. Just incredible,” said Ellis.

Ellis said of Lot 268 b. c. Savabeel - Splashing Out (O'Reilly) $500,000 (draft: Waikato Stud), “when I came to the sales I thought Waikato Stud had the best draft I had ever seen and I've bought their best yearling.

Ellis said of Lot 221 br. c. Savabeel - Rush (O'Reilly) $80,000 (draft: Waikato Stud), “this is a terrific walking son of Savabeel (Zabeel) and a very athletic type. He is from one of Waikato's Studs most potent and current families including Sacred Falls (O'Reilly), who won the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) and the AJC Doncaster (Gr. 1, 1600m). He is a natural sort of colt and I loved him as a type.

“We're fortunate in more ways than one to have David (Ellis) involved,” said Garry Chittick, Waikato Stud.

“It's all very well to say that he has gone out and bought these horses and as vendors we're lucky, and we are, but I think New Zealand is lucky that a lot of those horses, because of his buying strength, are going to stay and race in New Zealand. He is buying a lot of the top quality horses and no doubt if they prove good enough they will be taken further afield.

“So, it's a double edged sword. As vendors we're delighted and the industry should be happy that these horses are around. It certainly is fantastic for us to have his support and hopefully New Zealand will benefit from the quality of horse David has bought and syndicated,” said Chittick.

Since finishing second to Vintage Crop (Rousillon) in the Melbourne Cup (Gr. 1, 3200m) with Te Akau Nick (Grosvenor), a horse he purchased for $40,000, Ellis has been determined to go one better and still has some shares available in the Melbourne Cup syndicate, and a Singapore syndicate.

The Melbourne Cup syndicate contains Lot 140 b. c. Zabeel - Miss Zapper (Red Ransom) $150,000 (draft: Lyndhurst Farm), “a lovely Zabeel (Sir Tristram) colt and he looks a terrific staying prospect” and Lot 343 br. c. Pentire - Zambezi (Zabeel) $75,000 (draft: Goodwood Stud). “Zambezi was a genuine cups mare before injury curtailed her career and this is an outstanding first foal from a highly talented mare”.

The grand-dam of this colt Tall Poppy (Kaapstad) was as good a racehorse as you are likely to see. A beautiful black mare with a fantastic turn of foot and determination to match, Tall Poppy won eleven races from 1400 metres to 2000m and culminated her career by winning the NZ Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m) at Ellerslie. At the highest level, she also won the Thorndon Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m), Waikato Sprint (Gr. 1, 1400m) and two Group Two races and two Listed.

“They are both Derby colts that we would like to think could train on to win an Auckland Cup, Caulfield Cup, run in a Melbourne Cup,” said Ellis. “I have specifically bought these two horses to try and win a Melbourne Cup - worth $6.2m in 2014.

Lot 122 gr. c. Star Witness - Marie Doree (River Bay) $100,000 (draft: Wellfield Lodge) and Lot 179 b. c. Pins - Petit Verdot (Carnegie) $100,000 (draft: Trelawney Stud) makes up the ‘Straight to Singapore syndicate'.

As with all of the yearlings, the pair will be broken in at Te Akau Stud, receive their early education at the racecourse in Matamata, under the guidance of Jason Bridgman, and once trialled to satisfaction will transfer to trainer Mark Walker in Singapore. Now into his fourth season at the helm for Te Akau at Kranji Racecourse, Walker finished second on the Trainer Premiership, with horses in his stable winning nearly NZ$5m in prize money, last season in Singapore.

Asked why there is such demand from owners, Ellis said: “People look at the success that Te Akau is having. We have a lot of clients in the South Island that notice in the last ten years Te Akau has won the Group one Guineas' races seven times. They look at races like the Ray Coupland Stakes and say ‘we would like to win those races, so who do we go to, to achieve it?' They say, ‘it looks like Te Akau, with Jason Bridgman, Mark Walker and David (Ellis), are doing a good job and I'd like to be involved with them'. These people ring me and ask ‘how do I get involved?' and we ask them out to the farm (Te Akau Stud), show them horses and often they buy a share in a horse”.

“My diary is not big enough to put in all the visitors to the farm since the sales, but we've had hundreds,” said Ellis.

“I usually average about four appointments a day and they can sometimes be sizeable groups. The job is made easier by having Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) at my side and not only does she lead a fantastic team in the office but the owners love dealing with her."

Joining the four colts' syndicate (rememebr Te Akau has produced sires Darci Brahma (Danehill), Rock ‘N' Pop (Fastnet Rock), Burgundy (Redoute's Choice), Saperavi (Stravinsky), and Minstrel Court (Danehill Dancer) who all now stand at stud) is Lot 207 b. c. Fastnet Rock - Randaroo (Gold Case) $680,000 (draft: Curraghmore Stud).

At the time of purchase, Curraghmore Stud boss Gordon Cunningham said: “He is a grand colt and all class. He has maturity, quality, out of a top US mare that was a six time group winner and I loved him from the time I saw him. He has a stallion's pedigree and I have never offered a horse as mature as him.

“We (Curraghmore) enjoyed another very good sale in 2014 and while we sold to several buyers that had bought from us previously, David (Ellis) had a massive impact on our turnover and the overall sales statistics.

“Not only did David sign for our top lot, the Fastnet Rock colt from Randaroo for $680,000, but he also showed to operate at all levels when buying the best value in our draft; the Pins colt from Laurinel Princess (Desert Prince) for $37,500. With a bit of luck, a number of these graduates will be making headlines on the racetrack in the next couple of years,” said Cunningham.