Queensland Breeders The Big Winner As Aquis Farm Brings Top Stallions Home

Pierata

Aquis Farm President, Justin Fung, is pleased to announce that $5.8 million prizemoney earner Pierata, together with Aquis’ full 2020 New South Wales stallion roster, will call Queensland home this year.

Mr Fung said the roster was the envy of some of the biggest stud farms in the southern hemisphere and reflected Aquis’ confidence in the future of the Queensland racing industry.

“Pierata was one of the most exciting first season stallions to stand at stud in the Hunter Valley last year. He covered an astonishing 168 mares, of which 65 were stakes performers, including Loving Gaby,” Mr Fung said.

“It is only fitting that he, and the rest of our stallions, find their way to our historical home at Canungra.

“We have always had confidence in the Queensland breeding and racing industry, the QTIS prizemoney and the strength of the racing calendar dictated that we have a bigger presence in Queensland.”

Mr Fung said the Queensland breeding team would be headed up by Director of Sales, Jonathan Davies.

“Jonathan has built a strong team around him that is the backbone of this operation. I am immensely proud of what he and his team have been able to achieve,” he said.

“Good fertility results and excellent horsemanship are a testament to how knowledgeable and dedicated they are to the Aquis philosophy of ‘Success is achieved by teamwork, innovation and supporting their clients and the industry at all levels’.”

The Aquis Farm brand was initially established in Queensland in 2015 following the acquisition of a 480-hectare facility at Canungra on the Gold Coast hinterland.

After standing four stallions in its debut season in 2016 the company has gone on to build one of the most enviable rosters in the southern hemisphere and enjoyed strong patronage from breeders across Australia.

In 2021, Aquis Farm’s roster will be headlined by Pierata, who made the move to Canungra from the Hunter Valley and will stand at a service fee of $44,000 (incl. GST). On the track, Piereta won over $5,800,000 in prizemoney winning the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes at Royal Randwick as a four-year-old.

The roster also includes Invader, Snitzel’s best two-year-old, who has covered great books of mares in his first three years at stud.

Mr Fung said his progeny had been well received by trainers and bloodstock agents at the major sales this year and the initial feedback from breakers with his stock was very encouraging.

“We are confident that feedback will correlate into racetrack success in the coming racing season,” he said.

Spieth, another of our first season stallions with progeny selling this year, has been well received by buyers, averaging $118,000 at this month’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. Spieth will stand in 2021 for a fee of $8,800. He is leaving a good physical type with a good temperament that trainers love, he is a very exciting prospect going forward.

Bellevue Hill, Brave Smash, Divine Prophet, Jukebox and Santos will be the other stallions calling Queensland home, they will be barn mates to Dubious, who was the busiest first season sire in Queensland last year and Champion 2YO The Mission, Husson, Duporth, Kobayashi, Kiss And Make Up and Performer.

As part of this announcement, Aquis have also confirmed their 2021 stallion fees. See below.

Please contact Jonathan Davies on 0423 033 858 or the team at Aquis Farm to schedule a private viewing of the stallion roster.

Set To Invade The Magic Millions With His First Crop Yearlings

With the release of the 2021 Magic Millions Yearling Sale to be held in mid-January, it is noted that the representation of first crop sires will be very strong, and with Aquis’ Invader set to have his first yearlings grace the sale ring, their quality has already begun to shine through.

As the only Champion 2YO Colt at stud by his four-time Champion Sire Snitzel, who interestingly, like Invader himself, are both graduates of the Magic Millions Yearling Sale of their year, has the right credentials to continue the dominance of the sire line for years to come.

Purchased as a yearling by the China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace, Invader was an attention grabber from the beginning.

“He was a stand out! Invader was a well-made, strong, short coupled colt as a yearling. An attractive colt with power, he caught the eye. He had the look of a two-year-old,” stated Wallace.

With the Australian thoroughbred industry enamoured with juvenile speed and class, one thing Invader has over his sire is his Gr.1 success at 2, where he defeated three individual Gr.1 winners including Trapeze Artist to win the Sires’ Produce Stakes.

A few years on from that stunning elite level win and a select group of Invader’s first crop yearlings have been catalogued for January’s sale from high quality vendors Willow Park Stud, Edinburgh Park, Riversdale, Newhaven Park, Rosemont Stud, Valiant Stud, Rothwell Park Thoroughbreds, Fernrigg Farm, KBL Thoroughbreds, Evergreen Stud Farm, Kingstar Farm and Millbrook, with the black type pedigrees sure to excite.

Willow Park Stud will offer a pair of colts, with their second to sell, Lot 857, being a half-brother to the recent Spring carnival Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes winner Victoria Quay, a winner of three of her four career starts for Tony and Calvin McEvoy.

The form around her Wakeful win has already been franked, with the runner-up Personal, winning the Gr.1 VRC Oaks at her very next start.

Newhaven Park Stud, who have sold many top class gallopers through the Magic Millions sale ring in the past will offer Lot 563, the first foal of the Listed Dulcify Hcp winner Moqueen, a Gr.2 placed juvenile, and a half-sister to the dam of dual Gr.3W Malice (Street Cry).

From the family of Gr.1 winners Criterion and Comin’ Thorough as well as the Gr.2W, Gr.1p Varenna Miss, it is a family littered with black type performers.

Queensland vendor KBL Thoroughbreds will offer a pair of colts with Lot 995 being a half-brother to the Listed-winning, Gr.3 placed Cyber Attack as well as the up and coming On The Lead, who finished second during the Spring in the Gr.2 Up And Coming Stakes behind Wild Ruler, with the winner then finishing third in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes down the Flemington straight.

The fantastic vendor support for Invader, coupled with impressive types and quality pedigrees is sure to see Invader’s first crop yearlings find homes in many of the leading stables around the country and get every chance to emulate not only the racetrack success of the sire, but grandsire as well.

It’s Never Too Late

While many in the thoroughbred breeding world have an aversion to breeding their mare late in the season, looking through historical records of Gr.1 winners foaled in November and December is a real eye opener, highlighting that it’s never too late.

A while some breeders are in a position where they’re still considering if they should breed their mare this season or not, the facts are the facts and it makes for a convincing argument.

Take a look at the recently completed Flemington carnival, where the highest Timeform Rated winner of the week was 4yo Bivouac who achieved one of the wins of the carnival with a facile three and a quarter length victory over reigning Horse of the Year Nature Strip in the Gr.1 Darley Classic (1200m).

Interestingly, both Bivouac and Nature Strip would be consider late foals, both foaled in the month of November.

Gr.1 Victoria Derby winner Johnny Get Angry (NZ) as well as $7.5m Golden Eagle winner Colette, who had previously won the Gr.1 Australian Oaks in the Autumn, along with Gr.1 George Main Stakes winner Kolding and Gr.1 Epsom Handicap winner Probabeel were all foaled in the final two months of the season.

Joining those elite level winners are Toffee Tongue (Schweppes Oaks), Tyzone (Stradbroke Handicap), Etah James (Sydney Cup), Nettoyer (Doncaster Handicap), Dreamforce (George Ryder), as well as the above mention Nature Strip (TJ Smith Stakes), all Gr.1-winning, late foals, who recorded Gr.1 success in the last seven months.

Taking a different angle to the analysis, Aquis’ very own Gr.1 All Aged Stakes winner Pierata (pictured) who has covered a high quality first book of mares, along with Hunter Valley-based stallions Merchant Navy, Dundeel and So You Think as well as last season’s leading Victorian-based, first crop covering sire Grunt, are all Gr.1-winning late foals.

If your mare is yet to be covered this season, or for whatever reason she hasn’t gone in foal as yet, contact the Aquis Sale team to discuss how we can help you.

Positively Booming Results In Victoria

After proving one of the most popular first season sires last year in Victoria last season, Lean Mean Machine’s first crop foals have been the talk of the town, with many breeders sending mares back to the dual Gr.2-winning son of Zoustar during his second season at stud.

With a host of well-bred mares already scanned in foal so far this season highlighted by Miss Provocative, a winning Flying Spur mare from the family of multiple Gr.1 winner Alizee and the Gr.1 Golden Rose winner Astern, as well as Puppetry, a lovely mare from the family of Champion, Horse of the Year and multiple Gr.1 winner Northerly, Lean Mean Machine’s fertility has seen many happy breeders.

From the family of stakes winners Sertorius and the McEvoy Mitchell Racing-trained duo of Pretty Brazen and Dollar For Dollar, the Ponderosa Park mare Penny Rosa is another high quality second book mare for the former Chris Waller-trained colt.

Paul Kelly of Ponderosa Park is just one of many breeders who have sent mares back to Lean Mean Machine this season, highlighting that “I have had three Lean Mean Machine foals so far this season and they are magnificent. He has stamped his stock and he can throw a type. As good as any other foals on my farm!”

Ponderosa Park’s Lean Mean Machine x Ninasenko colt

While Ellora Thoroughbred Stud’s Matt Brown has praised the fertility of Lean Mean Machine.

“Our Street Cry mare has been a difficult breeder in the past and last season she didn’t manage go in foal, but after visiting Royal Meeting this season, she went in foal first time around, highlighting his high level of fertility.”

Another of the Aquis Seymour-based stallions getting exciting reviews from breeders is the highly fertile Royal Meeting (IRE), Invincible Spirit’s Gr.1-winning juvenile who is covering his first book of mares this season.

Erinvale’s John Kenneally is one of many local breeders who has supported the impressive looking first season sire.

“Royal Meeting is a very good looking horse with a pedigree and race performance to be a very successful stallion, and his fertility is exceptional, so far we have scanned 13 mares,10 in foal,” enthused Kenneally.

“I am extremely happy with how Royal meeting is going, especially as Erinvale and many of our clients have heavily supported him.

“With his exceptional fertility, it means we won’t need to be going back multiple times with the same mare – they get in foal the first time around.”

One of the many Erinvale-based mares to record a positive test so far is Devine Slickness, an Uncle Mo daughter of the Gr.2-winning, Gr.1 placed Lolita Star, who is in turn a sister to the dam of dual Gr.1 winner Happy Archer, while another mare covered who is boarding at Erinvale is Slippery Rose (USA), an imported War Front half-sister to Gr.1 American Oaks and Del Mar Oaks winner Lady Of Shamrock (Scar Daddy) from an impressive international black type family.

With Spring racing being a key facet of the local Victorian industry, it’s hard to go past the great Makybe Diva as a globally renowned icon, and La Dolce Diva, an unraced daughter of the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning mare is just one of a strong line up of well-bred mares already scanned in foal so far this season.

To discuss your breeding plans with a member of the Aquis Sales Team click here, or if you wish to view more first crop foals video, head to our dedicated Foal Video page here.

 

 

Success Breeds Success

Expectations are always high when an exciting young sire covers his first book of mares, and in the case of Gr.1 All Aged Stakes winner Pierata, as expected, he’s been inundated with a top quality book of mares highlighted by Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ dual Gr.1 winner Loving Gaby, crowned the Australian Champion 3YO Filly of the 2019/2020 racing season.

A winner of the Manikato Stakes and William Reid Stakes, both at Gr.1 level, Loving Gaby’s record is the envy of any broodmare owner with 11 top four finishes from just 13 starts and over $2.2m in earnings, the daughter of I Am Invincible is arguably one of the best credentialed mares to go to stud this season.

Other key mares to visit the son of Pierro in his debut season include a host of stakes winners, stakes producers and a great selection of blue-blooded mares.

Domesday’s dual Gr.2-winning, multiple Gr.1 placed daughter Oregon’s Day, a half-sister to the Gr.2 winner Talent Show from the family of Gr.1 winner Hawkspur is joined by Saluting To Win, a half-sister to this exciting sprinter Dirty Work, a winner of this season’s Gr.2 Schillaci Stakes before a narrow third in the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes behind Duporth’s son Hey Doc.

While another exciting highlight covering this season is Smokin’ Hussay, a full-sister Gr.1 JJ Atkins winner Rothfire, the recently crowned Queensland 2YO of the Year for the 2019/2020 racing season.

O’Rachael, a Gr.1 placed daughter of Northern Meteor from the family of Gr.1 winner Manuel, a long with Shamardal mare Sweet Fire, a half-sister to South Horse of the Year and multiple Gr.1 winner Igugu have both received positive tests.

Girandola, the Medaglia d’Oro half-sister to Gr.1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Aquis sire Invader, as well as Kaitlin Cove, who is a half-sister to Gr.3 winner Sookie, in turn the dam of Pierro’s dual Gr.1 winner and Hong Kong export Shadow Hero, are just two further high quality mares having already had a positive cover to Pierata.

Another quality mare who is yet to be covered, but is heading to Pierata is the Not A Single Doubt mare Fidelia, a well-bred five time winner who was black type placed on six occasions. The mare was purchased privately by Phoenix Thoroughbreds with the purpose of visiting Pierata in her first season at stud.

To speak to the Aquis Sales Team about sending a mare to Pierata, or to find out about any of the other stallions on the 2020 Roster, click HERE.

Nothing Dubious

Having sired 14 Gr.1 winners in an illustrious stallion career, the retired Not A Single Doubt has now passed the baton to his sons, with three listed on the Australian Stud Book as being at stud this season.

The first to retire, was the stakes producing Squamosa, while the most recent to kick off his stallion career is Extreme Choice and from just five first crop runners, he recorded a winning, Trans-Tasman double over the weekend to follow on from the stakes placed effort of Extreme Warrior a few weeks prior.

As the only first crop sire this season to have recorded multiple winners so far, the son of Not A Single Doubt has everyone talking.

Another former son of the Arrowfield Stud sire who has everyone talking is the Aquis Canungra-based Dubious, the fastest ever winner of the Gr.3 Breeders’ Plate.

Standing his first season this year, the former Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt oozes quality, not just from a physical, where he has been compared very favourably with his own sire, but also on the racetrack where he proved successful in the first juvenile race of the NSW season for the colts – the Breeders’ Plate.

Won previously by the likes of Capitalist, Vancouver, Pierro, Smart Missile, Sebring, Snitzel, Charge Forward and Choisir, Dubious has one thing over all of these – his outstanding speed, which he used to record the fastest time ever achieved in the race..

By no means was Dubious a one trick pony, his mental toughness and juvenile ability saw the colt finish second in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic of his year, just like his sire did, before winning the Gr.2 Champagne Classic during the Brisbane Winter carnival.

Afforded a high quality book of mares so far this season, Aquis, like the plethora of breeders who have supported him, can’t wait to see his first crop runner shit the racetracks of Australasia in the years to come.

To speak to one of the Aquis Sales Team members about sending a mare to Dubious, or any of the remaining 2020 stallion Roster, click here.

Man He Was Quick…

With the running of the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes this coming Friday, looking back through the historical records of the race stills sees Brave Smash (Jpn) as the fastest male to ever win the race.

Scoring in a time of 1:09.36 in the 2018 running of the elite level Gr.1 sprint contest, Brave Smash stopped the clock in a quicker time than outstanding sprinters Lankan Rupee, Chautauqua, Redoute’s Choice, Hay List, Buffering and Sepoy.

Not only dis Brave Smash prove his worth in the Manikato Stakes, but also toppled fellow Japanese breeder runner and Victorian-based sire Tosen Stardom in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes at weight-for-age, while also gaining further Gr.1 placings in the VRC Newmarket Handicap (twice), MVRC AJ Moir Stakes and MRC CF Orr Stakes.

As the fastest son from the Sunday Silence sireline to standing at stud in Australia, Brave Smash was rewarded with a high quality book of mares in his first season, with breeders ecstatic with the resultant foals being born this season.

Take a look at some of the clips below and listen to the leading industry breeders as they discuss their first crop Brave Smash foal

Middlebrook Valley Lodge’s Verna Metcalfe discuss the Brave Smash x Meri Rani filly

Kitchwin Hill’s Mick Malone chats about the Brave Smash x Our Girl Raquie filly

Listen to Gooree Park Stud’s Andrew Baddock as highlights the Brave Smash x Tris colt

To view further first crop foal videos, click HERE, or alternatively to discuss Brave Smash with one of the Aquis Sales Team, click HERE.

Invincible Territory

The recent international success of Invincible Spirit’s son Territories, whose first crop runners total 15 winners highlighted by a quick stakes double in the last few days, has given breeders in Australia further confidence that the sire line is continuing to provide success.

Standing his debut season at Aquis Seymour, Royal Meeting, unlike Territories, is a Gr.1-winning juvenile, successful in the Criterium International over 1400m at just his second start, adding one of the most essential factors breeders chase in a stallion.

Impressing on his racetrack debut in the United Kingdom, Royal Meeting was immediately sent to France at just his second appearance, where he quickened with ease to defeat the Aidan O’Brien-trained Galileo filly Hermosa at the elite level, with the runner-up going on to highlight her ability and record success in the Gr.1 One Thousand Guineas and Gr.1 Irish One Thousand Guineas.

The success of the Invincible Spirit sire line has been proven time and time again, be it locally in Australia with I Am Invincible, or in Europe through Kingman, Lawman and Mayson – all Gr.1 producing sire sons.

All in all, Invincible Spirit’s sons have sired 164 stakes winners, led by 18 individual Gr.1 winners, with none more successful that the Australian-based I Am Invincible, the sire of nine individual Gr.1 winners and over $92m in progeny earnings – not bad for a stallions that stood his first season at a fee of $11,000 and stands stood last season at $247,500!!

In Royal Meeting, Aquis offers breeders the opportunity to capitalise not only an impressive specimen from a sire line that is producing the goods, but Royal Meeting’s pedigree highlights significant global Gr.1 appeal.

Out of the Gr.1-winning, Champion South African 2YO Filly Rock Opera, herself a sister to the Gr.2 winner Hit Song and also to the Gr.1 placed Rock Concert, who is in turn the dam of the dual Gr.1-winning sprinter Van Halen, the pedigree also contains Gr.1-winning sprinter Gulf Storm, and the exciting Global Drummer, a dual Listed-winning 3yo.

Rock Opera is also the dam of Exceed And Excel’s millionaire son Heavy Metal, a six time black type winner in the UAE and Great Britain. This particular pedigree cross highlights the success with Danehill blood, and with a plethora of mares in Australia from that sire line, we are sure to see continued success in the years to come.

Standing at a fee of $13,750 (inc. GST) alongside Needs Further and Lean Mean Machine, please contact the Aquis Sales Team to discuss your 2020 breeding plans.

Second Crop Sires Offer Wealth of Opportunity

The use of stallions in their second season has led to the conception of some outstanding racetrack performers including Champion 2YO’s, Champion 3YO’s, Champion Stayers, Champion Sprinters and Champion Sires of the future.

Winners of iconic races such as the Golden Slipper, Melbourne Cup, Australian Guineas, Australian Derby, Rosehill Guineas and Doncaster were all bred from the second crop of stallions that have often gone on to achieve greatness.

First foals offer breeders the chance to test the waters and if they like what they see, a stallion often does even better with his second crop as breeders support their intuition of impending success with quality mares.

Aquis have four outstanding young sires that fit the second crop profile in dual Group I winning sprinter Brave Smash (Jpn) as well as Santos (I Am Invincible), Performer (Exceed and Excel) and Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar), the last trio all sons of champion sires.

Early reports on their progeny have been glowing.

Brave Smash in particular has found plenty of favour with the following comments from well satisfied breeders!

“We have switched over a further five mares to Brave Smash.”

“We could not have wished for a better start.”

“Great scope and athleticism.”

“I hope they’re all like this, then you know you’re onto a good thing.”

“The Brave Smash foal from Mead is a good size with plenty of strength and quality about him. He shows great scope and athleticism to develop as he matures,” said Alison Hush of Davali Thoroughbreds.

“He has good bone and conformation, it’s hard to knock him on anything really. We are expecting quite a few Brave Smash foals this season and we will be very happy if they are all as good as this colt”

As a stunning son of I Am Invincible, Santos is producing the goods!

“We’ve had three Santos foals arrive so far this season, and what an impressive group they are! They are strong, correct, lovely bodied foals with great bone under them. They’ll develop into exceptional weanlings, and best of all they’re athletic…Santos has really stamped these foals,” said Verna Metcalfe of Middlebrook Valley Lodge.

“Lovely strong attractive filly with good conformation. She’s a cracker maiden foal. We will definitely be using Santos again in the future,” said David Morrisey of Cannon Hayes Stud.

The only son of champion sire Zoustar at stud in Victoria, Lean Mean Machine has stamped his foals!

“I have had three Lean Mean Machine foals so far this season and they are magnificent. He has stamped his stock and he can throw a type. As good as any other foals on my farm!” said Paul Kelly of Ponderosa Park.

Performer is also hitting the mark with his quality foals.

“We are extremely excited to be a part of Performer’s first crop with this stunning colt out of But Perfect,” said Hopetoun Bloodstock’s Murray Webster.

“Performer is a talented, well put together son of Exceed And Excel and out of a Group 1-producing Snippets mare and he has certainly stamped his foals with his best attributes, speed, precocity and type.

“I expect his first yearlings to sell extremely well and I have no hesitation recommending Performer to my clients as a breeding option in 2020.”

To view more Aquis first crop foal videos, click here.

It’s A Breeze…

Always an exciting source of talent, the upcoming Magic Millions 2YOs In Training Sale contains a host of colts by Aquis’ stallions which are sure to prove popular with discerning buyers.

Consigned through the Gippsland Bloodstock draft, one colt that has already highlighted himself is Lot 215, a son of Gr.1-producing sire Needs Further out of the unraced Bon Hoffa half-sister to the dams of Listed winner Galvanized and the Gr.2 winner La Bella Dame, who is in turn the dam of stakes winners Damselfy and Le Bonsir.

Breezing up in a solid time of 10.66 on October 9 at Seymour, the colt then had a jump out at Pakenham on October 14 (below), and it appeared he was simply too fast for the cameraman, who didn’t appear to notice him all the way in front.

Another to have their breeze up at Seymour was the Nolen Racing-consigned Lot 42, a bay colt from the first crop of Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet.

Out of the four-time-winning Holy Roman Emperor mare Richenza, a half-sister to the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap winner La Montagna and to the dam of Gr.3 Red Anchor Stakes winner Eptimum, the colt is one of three catalogued by Divine Prophet in the sale.

With his first crop building momentum, Divine Prophet has already been represented by some very nice trial performers including the Team Rogerson’s Te Poropiti in New Zealand, as well as Encyclopedia, Mystic Aroma and Ezekeil.

Clare Park Thoroughbreds will consign the remaining two Divine Prophet colts in the sale with Lot 61 being out of a Pins half-sister to stakes winner Kekiva and Rapid Kay, while Lot 163 is out of a half-sister to More Than Ready’s stakes performer Delusion

With the final sets of breeze ups set to be conducted at the Gold Coast Turf Club on November 6 and 10, this is a sale not to be missed, with previous graduates including last season’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Tyzone, as well as carnival stakes winners Victorem, The Candy Man and Krone, while the Singapore Derby was taken out by Top Knight, another graduate of the sale.