Te Akau principal David Ellis continues to raise the bar for his extensive operation. In his decades as New Zealand’s leading racehorse syndicator, David Ellis has continually sought to raise the bar.
Driven by the combined forces of unabashed ambition and the desire for excellence, the Te Akau Racing brand has enjoyed success on a global scale, from domination of New Zealand racing, to big wins in Australia and as a major player in Singapore.
The past 12 months, however, have taken Te Akau to an unprecedented level. Rather than rely solely on his New Zealand training operation for access to lucrative Australian feature racing, Ellis made the decision to establish a permanent stable in Australia – and the results have been outstanding.
Te Akau’s new Cranbourne stable made a massive splash on Australian racing through its kingpin Imperatriz, who swept all before her in feature Melbourne sprints. Complemented by fellow stakes winners Campionessa, Skew Wiff and Sans Doute, the new set-up has taken no time to prove its worth and will continue to grow from the initial 20 boxes overseen by stable foreman Ben Gleeson.
The increasing flow of stable members to Australia has done nothing to diminish Te Akau’s rate of success from its Matamata and Riccarton bases. With a tally of 169 wins for the newly minted partnership of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Te Akau’s total of training premierships now stands at 15.
The New Zealand stake-earnings total of just over $8 million is complemented by another $7 million in Australian earnings, which in the Te Akau principal’s eyes, underscores all that he and his extensive team have set out to achieve.
“The biggest thrill from the past season has been winning $15 million for our owners in New Zealand and Australia,” Ellis told RaceForm this week. “It’s quite incredible to see that level of success, to see our horses perform in the very best races in both countries.
“I’ve always set goals, we’re always seeking to raise the bar, and I think the results from this season are simply a massive reward for the hard work that our whole team puts in.
“That work starts when we do our yearling inspections, head to the sales and do our best to buy the best quality possible. We’re very fortunate to have the support of so many wonderful people wanting to invest in our horses, that’s a very demanding process managed by Karyn and her team pulling all our syndicates together, and then it’s over to our hands-on team to develop those young horses.
“There’s no point in buying these good horses without having the best staff to care for them.
“So to have a season where we produced 30 stakes winners across New Zealand and Australia and nine of those in Group One races, it’s so satisfying to get those results.”
Ellis has always been one to identify and nurture, with no better example Walker, who linked with Ellis in his teens and more than 30 years later remains a vital component. Twelve months ago he was joined in partnership by Bergerson, who rose from stable foreman to now be a trainer in his own right, while complementing that structure is Gleeson in Cranbourne.
“We’re really fortunate to have young guys like Sam and Ben in the team,” says Walker. “They’re both of a similar age and have had great groundings. They’re hard workers and totally dedicated to their roles, which is so important for me moving between both countries.
“Everyone who works for Te Akau has a part to play, they all put in, and we wouldn’t be having this level of success without that structure and so many dedicated people.”
A key reason for the establishment of a permanent Australian base was to have ready access to the bounty that underpins racing across the Tasman, as well as opening the way to broaden the operation’s base.
“We bought 60 yearlings this year for a total outlay of $22 million,” Ellis said. “Those horses are a big part of our future, but it’s interesting now that as well as having the support of a lot of major breeders and owners in New Zealand, we’re also capturing the attention of some of Australia’s biggest breeders.
“Vin Cox has just confirmed that Yulong will be giving us Melody Belle’s first foal, a filly by Written Tycoon, to train. We’ve also got Coolmore, Seymour Bloodstock and individuals like John Camilleri wanting us to train their horses.
“John is sending us a lovely filly by Frankel, so that will be three Frankels in the stable. We’re still raising the bar, and having upwards of 50 boxes at Cranbourne enables us to continue developing over there.”
This Wednesday’s Tauranga race meeting saw several headline acts from Te Akau’s Matamata stable step out in exhibition gallops ahead of upcoming trials and early spring features, while the Cranbourne stable’s new season will kick off at Sandown on Sunday with Leaderboard in the A$300,000 Grand National Hurdle.
The much-travelled son of Street Cry, whose career began in Ireland and continued in New Zealand with wins in the New Zealand St Leger and Wellington Cup, has found yet another niche in Victorian jumping.
In five starts since being transferred to Cranbourne, he has won twice and placed three times, including second in the Australian Hurdle.
“With stables in Matamata, Riccarton and Cranbourne, it’s all about being able to place our horses to their best advantage, and whether it’s a precocious two-year-old, a classic or weight-for-age horse or an older jumper, that’s what we’re able to do,” Walker said.
