From TDN: The first victory for any sire is always significant, but when that winner happens to triumph in stakes class, it makes the moment all the more noteworthy. That was the case for Aquis Farm, who on Saturday, celebrated the maiden win for their freshman sire Santos.
From ANZ Bloodstock: Aquis Farm’s first season sire Santos (I Am Invincible) sired both his first winner and first stakes winner from just ten runners yesterday when his daughter Ulanova (2 f ex The Fairy’s Kiss by Elusive Quality) hacked up in the Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) at New Plymouth.
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From Breednet: Speedy filly Ulanova gave her rivals a good old-fashioned beating as she led all the way to take out the Group III Platinum Homes New Plymouth Taranaki 2YO Classic (1200m) in effortless fashion.
From TDN: The team at Aquis Farm is up and about, thanks to the deeds of their young stallions, who are churning out winners. Admittedly it’s very early in the season, but if you take a look at the First Season Sires’ Premiership, you will notice that four of the top 10 are residents of Aquis Farm in Canungra, Queensland.
From ANZ Bloodstock: This week’s Maiden of the Week accolade goes to two runners owned by Gandharvi Racing, who enjoyed a breakthrough week in the southern hemisphere, with Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly Kazou and juvenile Santos (I Am Invincible) filly Ulanova both making successful debuts in Australia and New Zealand respectively.
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From ANZ Bloodstock: Aquis Farm’s first season sire Santos (I Am Invincible) sired his first winner when Ulanova (2 f ex The Fairy’s Kiss by Elusive Quality) won the two-year-old race over 1000 metres at Te Rapa yesterday.
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From TDN: Aquis Farm-based first-season sire Santos was handed his first winner courtesy of Ulanova’s (NZ) victory at Te Rapa on Saturday.
From Breednet: Aquis have three first season sires with their progeny running this season and all of them had winners over the weekend with Performer and Santos siring their very first winners while Brave Smash (Jpn) clearly has an above average juvenile in Perth with Brave Halo going two for two at Ascot.
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.
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.