Te Akau Racing marketing manager Julia-Rose Hayes has had plenty of success syndicating horses selected by her father, David Ellis, and that has continued with her latest syndicate.
Hayes has been a key part of New Zealand’s leading stable, operated by her parents David Ellis and Karyn Fenton-Ellis, for several years and she has taken pride in the handful of syndicates she has formed.
Her two biggest success stories have been syndicating Group One winner On The Bubbles and Group One performer Wild Night, and she is hoping she has found another in Out Of The Blue, who won on debut over 800m at Riccarton last Saturday.
The two-year-old gelding’s dam, Cornflower Blue, is a former member of the stable, for whom she won the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) and placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) and Listed Mufhasa Sakes (1300m).
Upon retirement, she began her new career as a broodmare at Waikato Stud, who offered her second colt by Tivaci through their New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft at Karaka earlier this year where he caught the eye of Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, who secured him with a final bid of $60,000.
Hayes had gone to her parents prior to the sale proposing to put together a syndicate targeted towards younger people, and Ellis thought his Karaka purchase was ideal for her needs.
“It was at the stage where there were a lot of micro-syndication popping up and I put a proposal to David and Karyn asking would they be interested if we offered shares from one percent, and they said yes,” Hayes said.
“It was targeted at young people who want to meet new people and have a share in hopefully a good racehorse, which it looks like we have got.
“A lot of people (syndicate members) came through our website because we have got the capability to buy online, through promotion and friends of friends.”
Hayes was rapt when Ellis put forward Out Of The Blue as her syndicate horse, with Hayes having a connection to his dam as well.
“I did this punting competition with about 10 guys and I was the only female,” Hayes said. “Cornflower Blue was my bet one year and she ran third at Ellerslie.
“She was such a good mare to us and in this punting competition we ended up earning about $28,000 that we split.
“It was great when I saw we had bought the Cornflower Blue, and David and Mark (Walker, co-trainer) were like ‘this is the one for you’. It was pretty exciting as I feel I have a connection with the horse.”
Hayes’ vision duly came to life and the Te Akau Tangerine Army Racing Partnership 1 was formed, and syndicate members were quickly rewarded when Out Of The Blue won on debut at Riccarton just eight months on.
“It was fantastic, and I am so excited for the syndicate,” Hayes said.
With his $14,000 winner’s cheque, Out Of The Blue has put himself firmly in contention for January’s Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) at Ellerslie.
His debut win is a positive sign for Hayes, whose former syndicate horse On The Bubbles (a $90,000 Karaka purchase by Ellis) also won on debut as a juvenile before going on to win the Karaka Millions 2YO and Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), and she is hoping Out Of The Blue can go on to reach the same lofty heights.
“Isn’t it quite funny that it’s OOTB (Out Of The Blue)? We used to call On The Bubbles, OTB, so maybe we have On The Bubbles II,” Hayes quipped.
“All things going well, it looks like we are going to have a hell of a night at the Karaka Millions. We are going to ride the wave and enjoy it.”
Hayes is looking forward to socialising with the syndicate in the months ahead leading into the Karaka Millions, with a number of events in the pipeline.
“Everyone involved in the syndicate are so keen to meet new people and that’s what makes this really exciting, we are celebrating it all together, but we have yet to catch-up,” she said.
“We are going to have an event before the end of the year. If we make the Karaka Millions, we will have an event on Karaka Millions night as well.
“The social aspect is really fun and being able to meet new people. I love people and I thrive on socialising and most people in the industry feel the same and that is why we love the industry, as well as the horses. When you get success on a racecourse, there is nothing that tastes as good as that.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
