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Spends $2.540 million on 12 lots headed by a Zoustar filly for $800,000 and a Written Tycoon colt for $625,000

David Ellis, whose Te Akau Racing enjoyed a very successful day at Ellerslie on Saturday that included On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) providing the team with a fifth consecutive victory in the Karaka 2YO Million (RL, 1200m), dominated the opening day of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka 2021 - Book 1 sale spending NZ$2,540,000 on 12 lots. 

The most expensive of those lots, and the session topper, was a filly by Widden Stud’s Zoustar (Northern Meteor) who he bought for NZ$800,000 from the draft of Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Stud. 

Offered as Lot 94, the filly is out of the Group 3 winning mare Scintillula (Galileo) who also placed second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 7f). The filly’s second dam is Scribonia (Danehill) who also produced Group 3 winner Cuis Ghaire and Listed winner The Major General who are both by Coolmore’s peerless sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). 

The pedigree received a timely update last week when Scintillula’s daughter Butter Chicken (Savabeel) broke her maiden at Pakenham on Thursday. 

The yearling was purchased by Ellis in partnership with Coolmore and is the first time that the operation has bought a yearling with Ellis’ operation. 

“John Magnier, who owns Coolmore Stud, said that he wanted to support Karaka this year and he wanted to take a share in my best filly,” Ellis said.

“He has got a good-sized share in the Zoustar filly with Te Akau as we thought that she was the best horse in the sale.

“I think the Magnier family have been very impressed with the job we have done with Avantage, who has won more Group Ones than any other Fastnet Rock,” Ellis continued. 

Ellis said that he had just 25 per cent of the filly left to sell after a Hong Kong-based client had taken a 50 per cent share. 

“We are pretty proud to have one of Te Akau’s best clients, from Hong Kong, taking a 50 percent share in the filly,” Ellis said.

“There is only a quarter left and that will sell very quickly.”

Ellis said that he thought he might have to go further to secure the filly. 

“It is very seldom that you see a filly at Karaka with her pedigree and as good an athlete as she is,” he said.

“We thought we would have to go to NZ$1 million to buy her. We thought she would be the sales topping filly, and we are pretty happy to get her for NZ$800,000.

“She is as nice a filly as we have bought.”

Pencarrow stud manger Leon Casey said the filly had been extremely popular. 

“She is a top-class filly in every way,” he said.

“We had lots of interest from many good judges, including many New Zealanders as underbidders.

“She is a lovely type. You can see the Zoustar quality as well as the Galileo strength. Plenty of quality and depth.

“Sir Peter (Vela, Pencarrow Stud Principal) is prepared to offer the best we have. He doesn't hold anything back because he has confidence in the market. What he does is for the good of the industry and not just for Pencarrow.”

Pencarrow sold eight lots on Sunday for a total of NZ$1,754,000 at an average of NZ$220,625. 

A couple of hours before, Ellis went to NZ$625,000 to secure a colt by Arrowfield Stud’s Written Tycoon (Iglesia) from the draft of Woburn Farm. Catalogued as Lot 52, the colt is the third living foal out of Listed winner and Group 1 placed O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Pussy O’Reilly. She is a sister to Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Pussy Willow being out of Octapussy (Octagonal), who ran second in the 2006 Doomben Cup (Gr 1, 2000m). 

The colt was bred by Sir Patrick Hogan and Ellis said that he was taken by the son of Written Tycoon when he first saw him during the on-farm inspections. 

“We are looking for horses that can win a Karaka Million and go on and be a Golden Slipper colt, and then come back and stand at stud,” Ellis said.

“This colt met all of that criteria. He is very athletic and had Karaka Million written all over him.

“I think he has got a lot of class and I thought we could keep him as a colt.

“He is a beautiful colt from a really good family, and we are thrilled to have him.”

Ellis believes that the colt is one of the best in the sale but he had to go to more than he thought he would have to to secure him. 

“I went a bit more than I thought I would have to, but for these really top colts you have got to pay a little bit more,” he said.

“He is one of the top three in the sale.”

Woburn Farm sold five of the six lots that they offered on Sunday for a total of NZ$975,000 and the farm’s Adrian Stanley was understandably pleased with the sale of the Written Tycoon. 

“He is a quality individual. He definitely has the wow factor but he is also easy to work with, a quick thinker and you can do anything with him,” he said.

“I thought the money was about right. We try to be realistic with our reserves. You have to get them going so he was on the market at NZ$180,000.

“He has gone to a great stable. I couldn't be happier that Jamie (Richards) has him. He will be given all the right opportunities.” 

Ellis also bought a filly by the late Cambridge Stud sire Tavistock (Montjeu) from the farm, going to NZ$150,000 to secure Lot 197. https://www.nzb.co.nz/sales/21kaa/197 The filly is the first foal out of winning Darci Brahma (Danehill) mare Veearma who is a half-sister to Listed placed Our Heir Apparent (Zabeel). 

Written Tycoon meanwhile had one other lot sell on Sunday, a filly who was bought by Kasa Bloodstock for NZ$150,000 from the draft of Haunui Farm.