Te Akau's Torcedor Irish Group 3 Victory

The first yearling purchased by David Ellis on European soil, Torcedor (5 g Fastnet Rock - Magnolia Lane, by Sadler's Wells) carried the Te Akau colours to victory in the Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes (Gr. 3, 2800m) on 23 April at Navan racecourse in Ireland.

Owned by Sir Patrick Hogan, Sir Peter Vela, Mohammed Moussa and Laurie Laxon, Torcedor was Lot 1 at the 2013 Deauville Yearling Sales in France, and knocked down to Ellis for 70,000 Euro (NZ$115,000). His four wins to date earning NZ$238,434.

Ellis said at the time of purchase that the colt reminded him of Rock ‘N' Pop (Fastnet Rock), another son of the Champion sire he purchased and syndicated to win the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) and now stands at Waikato Stud.

“He will be trained in Ireland, and this brings a whole new world of excitement and opportunity for our loyal owners to be involved on a truly international scale, not only in New Zealand, and Singapore, but also now in Europe,” Ellis had said.

His dam Magnolia Lane is a sister to British superstar Yeats (Sadler's Wells) who won the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr. 1, 4023m) on four consecutive occasions. Recording seven Group One victories, including the Prix Royal Oak (3100m), Coronation Cup (2423m), and Irish St Leger (2816m), Yeats was arguably the best staying horse of all time.

Suggested as the ‘horse to watch' and going off at 4-1 second favourite, Torcedor gained ascendency at the post with a lap to run, galloped freely in front for jockey Colm O'Donoghue and he really was quite magnificent in his finishing burst, given the uphill finish on the 700-metre straight, to impressively beat multiple Group One winner Order of St George (Galileo) by 1 ½ lengths.

Unraced since August last year, trainer Mrs Jessica Harrington had presented Torcedor to win first up by 5.5 lengths earlier in April over the same 2800-metre distance at Leopardstown racecourse with O'Donoghue aboard.

“I wanted to buy and syndicate a horse in Europe, and try doing in a small way what I do in New Zealand,” said Ellis, of the idea to purchase Torcedor.

“I thought it would be fun to try and get a horse that could run in an English Derby. We weren't successful at that, as we had to geld the horse and of course geldings can't run in the English Derby, and he wasn't quite mature enough to be a Derby horse.  But we have given him a bit of time and patience, which is the cheapest part in horse racing, and although he contracted a virus last year, he's one-hundred percent now and he's showing the real ability that he's got.

“It's such a thrill for the first horse that I've bought in Europe to be such a good horse. He'd already won a listed race as a three-year-old, and I'm seriously considering going back next year and buying two or three colts to aim at their classic races, that if successful could come back and stand at stud in New Zealand.

“The horse is bred by David Nagle and John Magnier. David was the equivalent of Joe Walls (New Zealand Bloodstock), being the chief auctioneer at Goffs, very well known, and he raced Yeats who is a brother to the dam of this horse.

“I went and stayed on his farm a few years ago in Ireland. He's got a beautiful property and most of the horses he breeds are in partnership with John Magnier (Coolmore) and I was at Royal Ascot when Yeats won his fourth Gold Cup.

“The Gold Cup is the equivalent of the Melbourne Cup, in Europe, and I thought that the performance of Yeats was easily the best staying performance I'd ever seen in my life. I was literally in tears to witness this great horse achieve wins in the race for four years in a row. You saw so many people throwing their hats in the air and it was a very emotional moment for everyone there.

“I watched the race with Sir Mark Todd and Karyn and we went down to the presentation to see the horse, to see him close up, and he was just an unbelievable thoroughbred. I was quite blown away as to how this horse could win the Gold Cup four times in a row. When I looked at him in the parade ring before the race, I thought if anything he looked a bit burly but his jockey (Johnny Murtagh) took him to the front about 1000 metres out and he just clearly outstayed them.

“Although he came over and ran in a couple of Melbourne Cups, and wasn't successful, he also won this race (Vintage Crop Stakes) twice and he's easily the best staying horse I've ever seen.”

Like Yeats, Torcedor will now be set to contest the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr. 1, 4023m) on 16 June at Royal Ascot.

Speaking about trainer Jessica Harrington, Ellis said: “She's an unbelievable woman who was one of Ireland's top three-day event riders and she trains at Tipperary in Ireland. And although she specializes in staying horses and jumpers, the day Torcedor won (Sunday) she also won the listed sprint race”.

“In March she trained Sizing John to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious jumping races in the world, with her first runner and the media claimed her a ‘genius',” he said.

A month later, Harrington won the Irish Grand National, at Fairyhouse, with Our Duke.

Ellis said he is often questioned as to the naming of Torcedor.

“A Torcedor is a highly skilled person that rolls cigars. A specialist that hand rolls the best cigars in the world,” said Ellis, who is somewhat of a cigar aficionado himself.

Torcedor became the 113^th stakes winner for his Coolmore shuttle stallion Fastnet Rock (Danehill), who is currently third behind Street Cry (Machiavellian) in the general sires table in Australia by earnings with $10,140,050 in prize money - Street Cry through the deeds of Winx.

Fastnet Rock is also second behind Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) in the general sires table in Australia by winners, having sired 185 winners this season.

Ironically, Vintage Crop (Rousillon) became the first European horse to win the Melbourne Cup, in 1993, trained by Dermot Weld in Ireland, but in the process he denied Te Akau Nick (Grosvenor) who finished second.

Karyn-Fenton Ellis, who is planning to be on course for the Gold Cup in June at Royal Ascot, said: “David was determined to buy at the Deauville Sales that year, but he had a life threatening bout of pneumonia early that year on the Gold Coast. I didn't really want him to go overseas, but the specialist said ‘you're fine to travel', so off he went.

“It's a neat ownership group in the horse, all with different tales. Laurie (Laxon) has been a champion trainer in Singapore, Mohammed Moussa is a highly successful Canadian businessman and a good friend of David's, and then we have the 'two Sir's' from New Zealand who are icons in the industry."