Cover image courtesy of Te Akau Racing
Introducing Sir David Ellis and Lady Karyn Ellis. Te Akau Racing's founder and principal, David Ellis CNZM, has been appointed a Knight Companion (KNZM) of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours, in recognition of his services to Thoroughbred Racing and Philanthropy.
Over the four decades of Te Akau’s existence, Ellis has spent more than NZ$150 million on yearlings, and he's been the leading buyer at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale every year for over 20 years. His ownership groups have celebrated 429 wins in stakes races, including 106 Group 1 victories.
Altogether, Te Akau Racing horses have won 2938 races in New Zealand, and more across Australia, Singapore and beyond. Inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame in 2025, this knighthood follows on from other honours including being appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2020, and receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Racing Award at the Horse of the Year Awards in 2017.
“David so deserves this honour, for many reasons,” Former New Zealand Bloodstock Chairman Joe Walls MNZM said.
Joe Walls | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“One is that he created and graduated an entire university of racing people, and many of them have gone on to be very successful in their respective racing careers.
“David almost single-handedly held the New Zealand National Yearling Sales together over the last 20-plus years, and I was there to see it all happen; without him, it would have been in a sorry state. There has been no one like him on the buying bench at the sales over the past 40 years.
“David almost single-handedly held the New Zealand National Yearling Sales together over the last 20-plus years, and I was there to see it all happen; without him, it would have been in a sorry state.” - Joe Walls
“Through COVID, he practically held the sale together on his own. David kept buying horses even when I thought there was no need, but he was driven to do so.” And he on-sold them to a huge raft of Te Akau Racing’s clients who have had all the thrills of this journey beside him.
It all began with a great day at the races
Ellis was in celebration mode when TTR called on Monday, and the celebration is much deserved given his long-term impact on racing, not only in New Zealand, but across the Australasian industry.
“I'm very lucky that I've been able to do for my job what I love doing for my hobby,” Ellis said.
It all began at Easter in 1971, aged 17, on a public holiday race meeting at Ellerslie.
“I went to the races with my best friend from school, and went with $12 in my pocket, which in those days was enough to have a few bets, I went home with $88. I thought, this is the best way of having fun.” - David Ellis
“I went to the races with my best friend from school, whose family were in racing, and went with $12 in my pocket, which in those days was enough to have a few bets, buy lunch and have a few drinks, and I went home with $88. I thought, this is the best way of having fun,” said Ellis. According to Te Pūtea Matua (New Zealand’s Reserve Bank)’s inflation calculator, NZ$88 in 1971 is worth NZ$1644 today.
“I just loved the people, loved the horses, and I was hooked from that day on.”
Hard work and taking risks wasn’t something Ellis shied away from. He grew up in rural Pakuranga, and boarded at King’s College in Auckland, then achieved a Diploma Degree in Agriculture from Massey University.
David Ellis | Image courtesy of Te Akau Racing
“I had three jobs. I started at 4:30 in the morning at the freezer works, I finished at 3:30 in the afternoon and then I started my other job painting houses, inside in the winter, outside in the summer, six days a week. On Sundays I used to pour petrol at the service station.”
David Ellis celebrated his first winner in 1978 with the filly Magnum (NZ) (Sovereign Edition {Ire}) who he had on lease. Immediately after winning, he wanted to share the fun with others and set himself up as a syndicator. Magnum would win twice in her career and later produced G1 Waikato Lion Brown Sprint winner Mrs Selleck (NZ) (Famous Star {GB}).
“In 1979, I bought my first farm and in 1983, I went to the yearling sales and bought my first horse.
“In 1979, I bought my first farm and in 1983, I went to the yearling sales and bought my first horse.” - David Ellis
“I was just absolutely hooked on racing and wanted to try and make a living out of it, and when I started, I started right from the bottom. Everybody thought that I was no hope and that I would go broke for certain.”
In 1979, he bought his first farm consisting of 575 acres at Waimai Valley. The farm was expanded in 1982. Today, Te Akau Stud is spread over 4000 acres and runs 2500 breeding ewes, 2200 steers and 800 ewe hoggets and finishes about 3500 lambs each year.
Te Akau Stud | Image courtesy of Te Akau Stud
Ellis celebrated his first Group 1 winner came just under a decade after his first winner when Cosmetique (NZ) (Barcas {USA}) won the G1 Easter Handicap at Ellerslie in 1986.
Another horse who helped Ellis keep going during tough times and put Te Akau’s name on the map was Distinctly Secret (NZ) (Distinctly North {USA}). A big bet on him for the G2 Grand Prix in Brisbane in 2002 helped lift Te Akau Racing to the next level.
“I was having a drink with somebody on the farm that worked for me for 35 years and we were having a gin, and the phone rang, and Mark said, ‘Boss, tomorrow I'm going to saddle up my first ever racecourse certainty. I've been riding this horse every day myself, and this horse is unbeatable tomorrow,” Ellis said.
Distinctly Secret had already won four races in New Zealand, but his first run in Australia was a mediocre ninth in the G2 Queensland Guineas. So it was a huge call by Walker.
Distinctly Secret | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“It was a $300,000 stakes race at Eagle Farm. And I had a good bet on him, and he won by 3.5 lengths, and paid $33. That really helped me pay a few bills. And he won his next start in Brisbane at Doomben, and it was also a big help.” The G2 Grand Prix, now run at Group 3 level, was followed by victory in the Listed Rough Habit Plate before a fourth in the G1 Queensland Derby.
Distinctly Secret would go on to win the G1 Kelt Capital Stakes at Hawkes Bay and was third in the G1 Caulfield Cup behind Mummify (Jeune {GB}), one of his five Group 1 placings. Over his lengthy 63 start career, he won ten races and over $1.6 million.
The people make a team
Ellis might be the one with the knighthood, but he gives plenty of credit to the people around him. He told TTR that it’s always been a team effort and that he couldn’t have done any of this without all the people who’ve been part of the journey.
“I'm lucky. I've had a lot of luck and a lot of good people around me. A lot of good people that have worked for me, and I have the most wonderful wife that you could ever have,” Ellis said.
“I'm lucky. I've had a lot of luck and a lot of good people around me. A lot of good people that have worked for me, and I have the most wonderful wife that you could ever have.” - David Ellis
“I feel very humble. I've got the best lot of owners you could ever imagine, and that's enabled me to buy the good horses, but it's been a big team effort, that's for sure.
“I'm lucky that I've had Mark Walker, who's worked for me since the day he left school, and it’s been a great partnership.”
David Ellis and Mark Walker | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
In four decades, Te Akau Racing has won 16 New Zealand Trainers' Premierships, and four Singapore Trainers' Premierships. Mark Walker was 31 when he won his first New Zealand Champion Trainer title, the youngest trainer to achieve it. But he isn’t the only name who has been mentored by Ellis.
“Champion trainer Mark Walker has had an illustrious training career, employed straight from school by David. Another recent example is Jamie Richards, a young trainer who is now making his path in Hong Kong,” Walls said.
“Champion trainer Mark Walker has had an illustrious training career, employed straight from school by David.” - Joe Walls
“Opie Bosson is another of his great proteges, while Sam Bergerson, Reece Trumper, Hunter Durrant and Ben Gleeson are further examples of the generations of fine young leaders honing their training craft under the Te Akau banner.”
Ultimately, it's the love of the horse
With 106 Group 1 victories on the books at Te Akau Racing, the impact of Ellis’ tangerine silks on the Australian racing and breeding industry is extensive.
“I've been lucky that I've got lots of favourites for different reasons. Horses like Avantage, Imperatriz, Melody Bell, Burgundy. Darci Brahma. Those sort of horses,” Ellis said.
Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) was twice awarded Horse Of The Year with 13 Group 1 wins, and was sold to Yulong's Written Tycoon Syndicate for $2.6 million at the end of her racing career, which netted over NZ$4 million in prizemoney.
Melody Belle (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) won nine Group 1 races and was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame in 2025. She earned nearly $7 million on track and was sold for a record $6.6 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2024.
Imperatriz | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Darci Brahma (NZ), a $1 million yearling who won five Group 1 races, has been hugely successful at stud with 60 stakes winners, 12 of those at Group 1 level. Sword Of State and Cool Aza Beel (NZ) have both begun their stud careers brilliantly, while Noverre (NZ), Move To Strike and Return To Conquer have it all ahead of them.
In the last 21 years, Te Akau Racing can boast 14 winners of the two New Zealand Guineas races, and seven consecutive winners of the R.Listed Karaka Million 2YO (and eight winners in total). The stable is the only one to have won both the R.Listed Karaka Million 2YO and R.Listed Karaka Million 3YO in the same season, and they’ve done this three times in 2020, 2022, and in 2025.
The love of the game is about building the game
It’s not just the racing and the farm. Ellis has always given back to racing by getting involved with the administration side of the racing industry.
Chairman of the Waikato Racing Club for five years, he was awarded a Life Membership in recognition of his contribution. He also served on the board of the New Zealand Racing Conference during its transition to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and on the board of New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing.
“Those of us who have closely observed the growth of Te Akau Racing didn't realise just how significant and important David's dedication to the thoroughbred industry would become.” - Joe Walls
“Those of us who have closely observed the growth of Te Akau Racing didn't realise just how significant and important David's dedication to the thoroughbred industry would become, and how he could sustain the positive impact for so long and create such an impressive legacy,” Walls said.
“He has done a hell of a lot of good things for the industry, and a lot also outside of racing, and he has done a lot for farming, building his farm up from nothing - creating a model farm from meagre beginnings - he wasn't born into it and did it all on his own from scratch.”
The story is still being written
Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) became the first New Zealand-trained horse to win a Group 1 in Australia for two years when she took out the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes over this autumn for Mark Walker. He followed this up when Geegees Mistruth (Wordsmith) won the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes from Te Akau Racing's Cranbourne stable for her Tasmanian-based owners.
Belle Cheval (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I haven’t finished. I intend to take Te Akau to the next level.” - David Ellis
“I haven’t finished. I intend to take Te Akau to the next level. We’ve won two Group 1s in Australia recently, one in Sydney and one in Adelaide and we want to take (our stable in) Australia to the next level. That’s my goal,” Ellis said.
