Breeding Success Brings More Thrills for Ellis

Media Release - Sunday July 3

Although leading New Zealand racehorse syndicator David Ellis has plenty to celebrate through the success of his Te Akau Racing operation during the 2021/2022 season, one of the lesser known strings to his bow are the numerous achievements he and wife Karyn have secured on the thoroughbred breeding front over the past twelve months.

The pair will head off to Hawaii on Tuesday for a well-deserved mid-winter break with the prospect of returning in August as a strong contender for the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year title.

Maven Belle is a G1 winner!

Numbered amongst Te Akau Racing’s 38 stakes wins this season are three apiece by the Ellis-bred fillies Maven Belle and Belle En Rouge including the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) (Maven Belle) and the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) (Belle En Rouge), while five-year-old mare Burgundy Rose, a seven-time winner, was also stakes-placed.

Ellis said there was something particularly special about achieving elite-level success with horses bred and raised at his Te Akau Stud.

“Belle En Rouge winning the New Zealand Oaks is the biggest thrill I’ve ever had in racing,” he said emphatically.

“To then follow that up with Maven Belle winning a Group One as well is something very special and it has given me enormous pleasure.

“Our stable has had another remarkable year with 141 wins in New Zealand, 33 stakes wins here and another five in Australia, while we have also topped the $8 million mark in total prizemoney won.

“We could have the champion two-year-old with Maven Belle and we claimed our eighth New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year with Belle En Rouge and Self Obsession tied for that title, so all in all it has been a tremendous year for us.”

Ellis is justifiably proud of the contribution his Te Akau operation makes to the stallion market both in New Zealand and in Australia with seven former Te Akau Racing-prepared colts now standing at stud.

Xtravagant, Cool Aza Beel and Heroic Valour are based in Australia while proven performer Darci Brahma (The Oaks Stud) has been joined in New Zealand by Embellish (Cambridge Stud) while exciting prospects Noverre (Waikato Stud) and Sword Of State (Cambridge Stud) will stand for the first time during the 2022 breeding season.

“One of the things I enjoy the most is putting our colts syndicate together each year at Karaka and we have had some tremendous success as evidenced by the seven individual stallions who are standing in Australasia,” Ellis said.

“We like to support those stallions with mares and we raise all of our foals on our farm at home.

Advertisement

“Each year we pick out the best three or four and offer them to good clients to race and it is a big thrill to see them come through and perform at a high level like Maven Belle, Belle En Rouge and Burgundy Rose did.

“We have retained shares in the colts who have gone to stud and we try to support them each year with one or two mares from our broodmare band.

“I think we will be breeding from around 14 mares this year which is also very exciting for us.”

One of the bittersweet experiences for Ellis this year is the fact that Maven Belle, Belle En Rouge and Burgundy Rose are by his favourite stallion Burgundy, who he purchased for $1.3 million at the 2010 Karaka Yearling sale and who went on to win seven races before standing for seven seasons at Cambridge Stud before passing away in 2019.

Ill-fated Burgundy has left his mark.

“Burgundy was my favourite horse, the fastest horse Te Akau has ever trained and his passing was a tragedy for the local breeding industry,” Ellis said.

“This year alone he has produced the likely two-year-old of the year (Maven Belle), the joint Filly of the Year (Belle En Rouge) and the New Zealand Cup (Gr.3, 3200m) winner (Mondorani)

“It is a very special stallion who can leave stakes winners from 1200m right through to 3200m, so I think we are really feeling his loss now.”

While breeding thoroughbreds holds a special place in Ellis’ heart, the business of buying and racing horses is in his soul.

“Our breeding operation is very special but having the number one stable in New Zealand is the main priority,” he said.

“Certainly, breeding them, on our scale, is nowhere near as much work as buying and syndicating them, so we are looking forward to seeing the results of our work at the sales come to fruition again this coming season.

“The stable hasn’t got much running around over the next month but come August, Mark (Walker) will have 60 ready to go to the trials and I can’t wait to see what he will be able to produce once spring racing gets underway.” – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 4
Here is the full list of 119 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Captivant Colt Shines at Warwick Farm Trials
Captivant’s burgeoning reputation for producing precocious 2YOs took another leap forward at today’s Warwick Farm trials, with Courthezon powering to victory in Heat 10.
Surprise Bart Cummings Victory Secures Valiant King Melbourne Cup Run
It’s not often you see a runner from the Chirs Waller stable go around at 50/1 odds, but 6yo gelding Valiant King (GB) produced an outstanding effort to win Saturday’s $350,000 Group 3 VRC Bart Cummings (2520m) at Flemington, securing himself a run in this year’s $10m Gr1 VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Juvenile Trial Watch – Warwick Farm
We had three heats for 2YO’s run at Warwick Farm on Friday morning over 815m with winners by Farnan, Ole Kirk and Kia Ora Stud’s first season sire Captivant, while Stay Inside had an impressive trial winner at Murray Bridge.
Briasa Wins $1million G2 Premiere Stakes- Everest Next
Twin Hills Stud’s Smart Missile will have a runner in the $20million The Everest and his explosive grey sprinter Briasa will be going into the race in top form following an exciting win at Randwick on Saturday in  the $1million Group I ATC Premiere Stakes (1200m).
War Machine Stakes Everest Claim - G2 Gilgai
David Hayes has a New Zealand-bred superstar heading into the A$20 million Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) in two weeks, where his sons Ben, Will and JD Hayes might line up against him with a Kiwi-bred Group One winner of their own.
Pedigree Watch – Juvenile Stakes-Winners
Three new season juvenile stakes races on Saturday produced a $1million yearling purchase that gave Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside the perfect start to his stud career, a pinhook winner turned stakes-winner and a colt foaled in Australia with a Kiwi pedigree.
Sir Delius Delivers G1 Turnbull Stakes Win
Adding Saturday’s $750,000 Group 1 VRC Turnbull Stakes (2000m) to his Group 1 MRC Underwood Stakes (1800m) victory last start, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Sir Delius further enhanced his outstanding reputation ahead of an assault on the WS Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.
Sires With Winners - Friday October 3
Here is the full list of 61 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Mogumber Park hoists wet sail with Marine One
This time last year, the first foals by Mogumber Park stallion Marine One were widely regarded as some of the best types on the ground in Western Australia.