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.