Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis, who looks a certainty to claim his 14th consecutive leading buyer title at the annual National Yearling Sale series, was back among the main selling action mid-way through day three at Karaka.
Ellis had outlined his plan prior to the sale to secure atriumvirate of well-bred individuals to make up the 2019 Te Akau Colts breeding syndicate.
The colts syndicate concept has worked well for Te Akau over a number of years with seven individuals going on to make a career as a stallion after their racing days were completed.
Ellis secured two of the three yearlings he required over the first two days of the sale with the $475,000 purchase of Lot 100, a Written Tycoon colt from the Hallmark Stud draft along with the likely sale-topper, the $1.4 million Savabeel colt, Lot 192 from the Waikato Stud draft.
It was Waikato Stud and champion sire Savabeel that provided Ellis with the opportunity to close out this year's syndicate as he outlasted Australian operation Aquis Farm to secure Lot 445, the colt out of Group One winning racemare Suavito, with a final bid of $775,000.
"I believe he will be an ideal horse for the million-dollar race at Ellerslie (Karaka Million 2YO). He's the type of horse we could look to take over for the Sires' Produce (Gr.1 1400m 2YO) and Champagne Stakes (Gr.1 1600m 2YO) at Randwick.
"It is a hell of a bonus for my owners to be able to race for a million dollars within 12 months (of the sale)," he said.
