From ANZ Bloodstock: A bumper four-session stallion parade at Aquis Farm’s Gold Coast hinterland stallion operation at the weekend has prompted the Fung family owned stud to hold an encore over the next two Sundays.
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From Breednet: Retiring talented colts to stud early at the end of their 3YO season is common practice for high profile candidates given the finances at stake, but for colts that race on and test their mettle further on the battleground of the track a successful stud career can still unfold with 10 of the Top 20 sires in Australia this season racing as older horses.
From Breednet: Pierata also had a $200,000 sale with his Newhaven Park consigned colt from Plastered (USA) bought by Bahen Bloodstock. Dubious made his mark with a colt from Chit Chat making $150,000 for Kenmore Lodge when bought by Aquis Stallions.
From Breednet: It’s a fairly safe bet that, come 2.23pm Saturday, everyone associated with Aquis Farm will be either at Toowoomba racecourse or parked in front of a TV somewhere.
For the first 2YO race of the season in Queensland, Aquis Farm has a close interest in four of the nine runners: each of them by first season sire, The Mission.
From Breednet: Aquis Farm are delighted with the arrival of the first foal for Pierro’s Group I winning son Pierata with a gorgeous colt foaled at Torryburn Stud.
The colt is the fourth foal of metropolitan winning Snitzel mare Kayjay’s Joy.
“At 15hrs old the colt is showing a lovely balance to him just like his sire, has plenty of strength and scope,” said Melissa Copelin, Stud Manager.
From Breednet: Former outstanding sprinter Quilista topped the second day of the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the Gold Coast today when selling for $1 million.
Offered as part of a quality draft from Segenhoe Stud, Quilista was knocked down to leading New Zealand bloodstock agent Bruce Perry on behalf of New South Wales based thoroughbred nursery Cressfield.
From Breednet: Aquis Farm President, Justin Fung, is pleased to announce that $5.8 million prizemoney earner Pierata, together with the Aquis full 2020 New South Wales stallion roster, will call Queensland home this year and their fees have also been announced.
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.
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.
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.
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.