Mr DC Ellis appeared at the top of the buyers list again on day two of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, but it was the Te Akau principal’s right-hand man, trainer Jamie Richards, doing the bidding to secure the top lot on Monday.

Richards was caught in a bidding duel with Bruce Harvey, representing the Hong Kong Jockey Club, for lot 367, the Tavistock colt out of Echezeaux, from Pencarrow Stud’s draft, and came out on top with a final bid of $520,000.

It is a family that Te Akau has had a lot of success with in the past, with Ellis having purchased and raced Echezeaux’s half-siblings, five-time Group One winner Darci Brahma and Group One performer Burgundy, before they retired to stud.

Richards was impressed with the colt and believes he will be able to run early.

“We loved him,” Richards said.

“He’s a sharper looking Tavistock. We thought he had enough precocity about him to be racing in the autumn as a two-year-old and develop into a top-class 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) colt as a three-year-old.”

$520,00 was a bit more than Richards initially thought they would have to pay, but he said Ellis was happy to extend in order to secure the colt.

“We were a bit short, but to Dave’s credit, when the big ones come up he wants to be retaining these horses to race from our stables and we can turn them into horses that we are proud of,” Richards said.

“If he does it on the track he has got a home at stud somewhere. He is from a beautiful Pencarrow family, and he was a ripping sort.”

While busy at Karaka on Monday, Richards was keeping a close eye on racing at Matamata where he secured his 99^th training win of the season when Navalha took out The Boltholder 1200.

While disappointed he wasn’t able to bring up his century, he is hoping star mare Melody Belle may be able to do so in the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.

“It was a little bit frustrating that we weren’t able to get one more over the line, but they are all running well,” he said.

“It will come around soon enough, it might be Saturday in the Group One.

“Melody Belle is good, I am happy with her. She will gallop in the morning and then down she goes (to Trentham). It has been a busy couple of days.”