He is New Zealand's biggest buyer of yearlings and his Karaka purchases have delivered outstanding race track success with more than 20 Group or Listed winners in the last year, including seven at the highest level.
Confidence and excitement levels are understandably high in the Te Akau camp ahead of the opening of New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sale series on Sunday.
A day before, Ellis' tangerine troops will be out in force at Ellerslie with trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards to saddle five runners in the Karaka Million (1200m) and their Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Embellish a leading chance in the Karaka 3YO Classic (1600m).
"It's been really satisfying and it certainly shows that the whole business is working well," he said.
"We don't try and buy early two-year-olds, these are horses that have just showed a lot of natural ability and we haven't pushed them. They have taken their opportunities to qualify in a very even field."
The unbeaten Avantage, who has drawn ideally in gate five, will be joined by Al
Hasa, Sword Of Osman, Pinot Grey and The Real Deel in the Karaka Million."Avantage has been working particularly well and she probably deserves to be the favourite," Ellis said.
"Opie (Bosson) has proved how good he is judging horses, he's a freak, and he pretty much always chooses the right one. He has been riding all these horses in work and he has chosen Avantage.
"He did tell me it was narrowly over Al Hasa, who has improved a lot since his last race at Ellerslie and one of the strongest workers has been Sword Of Osman.
"The draw for Avantage will give Opie options, it's just perfect really."
Top colt Embellish has won three of his five starts and in his first appearance since his New Zealand 2000 Guineas victory in November he finished fourth.
"He needed the run at Ellerslie at his last start and he will be stripping at his peak on Saturday," Ellis said.
"His work has been of the highest standard and Opie is very happy. They will take a lot of beating."
Ellis' confidence in Embellish hasn't been dented by barrier 13 either.
"The draw doesn't really mean a lot over the mile at Ellerslie," he said. "The horse rolls forward so I don't think it's too bad."
Ellis has been inspecting hundreds of yearlings ahead of the sale at Karaka.
"Book 1 is now 700 as opposed to 430 or 440 so there's been a lot of horses to look at and we've finished looking at all of them now," he said.
"There will be 140 yearlings that we will be going back to have a second look at. I do it with Jamie Richards and Mark Walker, it's a team effort that works really, really well." – NZ Racing Desk.
