From Breednet: At the start of a new yearling sale season all freshman sires begin on an equal footing, but as each sale passes and commercial judgement is delivered on their offspring, some will rise from the pack to make a positive statement.
The first son of Zoustar to go to stud, Aquis Farm’s Lean Mean Machine covered 147 mares in his first season at stud in Victoria at a fee of $17,600 and those resulting foals are packing a powerful punch at the sales.
From Breednet: The Inglis Premier Yearling Sale this week provided encouraging results for a number of first season sires with Lean Mean Machine repeating his success at Inglis Classic where he led the first season sire averages for three or more sold.
From Breednet: The dust has settled after a record breaking Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where the median price soared by 25% to $100,000, so we’re taking a look at the performance of first season sires with a surprise name at the top of the list.
Aquis Farm’s Lean Mean Machine had three yearlings offered in Book 1 and all were sold at an average $225,000, a phenomenal result from a fee of just $17,600.
From TDN: Aquis Farm has added a 16th stallion to its Queensland roster for 2021, with Lean Mean Machine to relocate from Victoria, where he has stood his first two seasons.
The Group 2-winning son of Zoustar served books of 147 and 73 in his first two seasons, with 89 foals from his first crop.
He joins a powerful Aquis roster from its Queensland base, which includes Pierata and Invader, who were among those stallions to move north from New South Wales in 2021.
From Breednet: Aquis Farm is delighted to announce that outstanding 2YO Lean Mean Machine will be taking up residence in Queensland to bolster their stallion roster to 16. He will stand alongside Pierata and Invader in what will be Queensland’s largest stallion station.
Lean Mean Machine is the only dual Group 2 winning son of Champion Stallion Zoustar at stud and is the best son of Zoustar in Queensland.
Lean Mean Machine was a multiple stakes performed two-year-old, winning the Gr.2 BRC Sires Produce in the winter of 2018, a race his own sire won in 2013. Lean Mean Machine further cemented his future as a stallion with a victory in the Gr.2 Run to The Rose (1200m) at and then a smashing 3rd in a classic renewal of the Gr.1 VRC Coolmore Classic (1200m) behind Champion Filly Sunlight and Zousain (with all three being by Zoustar).
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.
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.
As the only dual group-winning son of Champion First and Second Season sire Zoustar, Lean Mean Machine’s Group 2 victories at two and three highlighted his sensational racetrack ability, while his third in the stallion-making Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, further emphasised his elite level talent.
The epitome of what breeders look for when selecting a stallion, Lean Mean Machine is a stunning physical specimen. His first three dams are all juvenile winners, his own dam She’s Meaner being a Listed winner at two, and a narrow runner-up in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic of her year, highlighting the juvenile class of the family.
Supported by many of Australia’s leading breeders in his first season including Glastonbury Farms, Makybe Racing and Breeding, Seymour Bloodstock, Swettenham Stud and Yulong Investment to name a few, the first foals of those mating’s are arriving this season to glowing reports, all noting their outstanding quality and substance.
Standing at Aquis Seymour at a fee of $13,200 (inc. GST), Lean Mean Machine has been represented Australia wide by his first crop foals with many outstanding specimens already foaled so far this season.
Ponderosa Park’s Paul Kelly is one judge who has been suitably impressed by his Lean Mean Machine 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!”
While Andrew Braddock of Gooree Park highlighted the Nashville Skyline filly as similar to her sire.
“The Lean Mean Machine x Nashville Skyline is a very athletic filly just like her father! Very correct and extremely active!”
It is just not the physical that is impressing breeders, but the quality of the mares he also covered in his first book.
Foaled at Aquis Canungra was the second foal of Fast Hussy, herself a half-sister to five-time Gr.1-winning, Champion Sprinter Santa Ana Lane.
Ellora Stud welcomed a colt out of See It My Way who is from the family of Gr.1 Golden Slipper winner Burst and South Africa’s Gr.1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Vernichey.
While Glastonbury Farms foaled down a colt out of the well-related Kulgrinda, a three-quarter-sister to Headwater, from the family of Gr.1 winners Crown Prosecutor and River Dove.
Another foal at Glastonbury Farms with an exciting pedigree is the below colt, out of the winning Shamardal Gold, a three-quarter-sister to the dual Gr.1-winning, Champion 3YO Filly Faint Perfume, from the family of Champion 3YO Filly and dual Gr.1 winner Danedri.
To discuss booking a mare into LEAN MEAN MACHINE for the 2020 breeding season, or to discuss your mating plans, please contact the Aquis Sale Team.