Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis knows exactly what he is looking for at the Gold Coast having bought Champion Sprinter Imperatriz and Champion 2YO Sword of State from Magic Millions and he made his first purchase at this year’s sale early on Tuesday paying $625,000 for a colt by champion sire Snitzel.
Consigned by Bhima Thoroughbreds, from whom he also purchased Imperatriz, the star colt was bred by Jonathan Munz and is the second foal of Group I SAJC Australasian Oaks winner Toffee Tongue (NZ), a blueblood Kiwi mare by Tavistock that is a sister to Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther.
“It’s a terrific New Zealand family that we bought from Jonathan Munz, one of the great breeders in Australia,” said Ellis.
“We’re thrilled to have a colt who is out of a Tavistock mare, they are going really well at stud, out of a Zabeel mare. You just can’t get better than that and he was a really precocious type that we can see winning about now (next year).
“I think he’ll be a 1600-metre colt in time.”
Ellis purchased 10 yearlings at the sale last year for $6.9 million and among them was the $1.3million Snitzel colt from Vaujany that has been named Return to Conquer and was a brilliant debut winner of the Listed Challenge Stakes last November.
