Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis has had plenty of success at New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale and he is hoping his latest acquisition can reach similar heights.
Ellis
purchased triple Group One winner Gingernuts at the sale in 2015 for $42,500
and went to $230,000 to secure current stable star Te Akau Shark a year later.
The Rip Van Winkle gelding has won five of his six career starts-to-date, including the Gr.2 Coupland's Bakeries Mile (1600m) at his last-start, and Ellis went to $152,500 to secure his three-quarter brother at Karaka on Wednesday.
"I thought it was really fair (price), we would have gone a bit more," Ellis said.
"When you buy a horse at this sale for $150,000 that has been broken in and educated you have got to be happy."
Ellis said there are striking similarities between the two sons of Rip Van Winkle and he believes his latest acquisition can develop into a similar animal as his three-quarter brother.
"Even though he is not a chestnut, he is absolutely identical to Te Akau Shark in every other way," Ellis said.
"He is a very lovely colt with a lot of class and (comes from) a family that is really going places."
Ellis
initially passed on the colt when he was offered as a yearling at Karaka
earlier this year, but he was impressed with the way he has developed as a
two-year-old.
"I did (look at him as a yearling), but he has developed enormously since the yearling sales, as these horses do, and I was very taken by him," Ellis said.
Like Te Akau Shark, Ellis thinks his new purchase will take a bit of time to develop and won't be seen on the track until he is a three-year-old.
"He's not a two-year-old, but he's a real 2000 Guineas colt I think. We'll just put him up on our website now and syndicate him. We've got no firm owners in the horse yet." – NZ Racing Desk
