Aquis Farm has today announced a 17-strong roster for the 2022 breeding season - an impressive lineup of the promising and proven.
Headed up by the hugely popular Group 1 winning son of Pierro in PIERATA, who has covered striking, quality books in his first two seasons – Aquis, has also recently announced exciting newcomers in JONKER and GLENFIDDICH.
With a rapidly rising reputation for ‘developing’ serious stallion talent, Aquis likewise fields leading first season sires, INVADER, JUKEBOX, KOBAYASHI, SPIETH and THE MISSION who all boast multiple winners among their initial runners.
Waiting in the wings and with rising 2YOs in leading stables are BRAVE SMASH, LEAN MEAN MACHINE, PERFORMER and SANTOS, while Group winning 2YOs – BELLEVUE HILL and DUBIOUS – both have outstanding foals and will sell their first yearlings in 2023.
As for the ‘proven’, DIVINE PROPHET is among the rising stars in Australia’s stallion ranks and he shares stable space at Canungra in Queensland with Group 1 producers DUPORTH and HUSSON.
With his fee unchanged, despite covering over 300 mares in his first two seasons, of which 82 were stakes performers and 45 were dams of stakes performers, Pierata leads off the roster at $44,000 and it will assuredly be another busy spring ahead. Winner of the Group 1 All Aged Stakes and four other Group races (with $5.8 million in stakes), Pierata is one of the most popular sprinters to retire to stud in recent times.
Speaking of popular sprinters, Jonker was a genuine crowd pleaser with his bold front running style: a style that saw him become the fastest ever male winner of the Group 1 Manikato Stakes and also break the 1200m record of Champion Sprinter, Takeover Target. Jonker is the first son of literal boom sire, Spirit of Boom, to retire to stud and stands his introductory season at $16,500.
Jonker is joined at Aquis for the first time by Fastnet Rock flyer, Glenfiddich ($8,800 fee), a nose second in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at two before going on to capture the Group 2 Stutt Stakes and emulate leading sires Pierro, Encosta de Lago, Canny Lad and Zabeel.
Multiple Group 1 winning sprinter, Brave Smash, was quite the smash at this year’s sales with his first crop selling up to $260,000 – over 10 times his 2022 fee of $22,000. Brave Smash is one of four Aquis stallions whose initial progeny were offered at 2022 yearling sales. Zoustar’s Group 2 winner at 2 and 3, Lean Mean Machine ($17,600 fee), had yearlings sell to $380,000. Exceed And Excel’s Performer ($6,600) is clearly a performer on the track and in the breeding barn with yearlings selling to $210,000 and I Am Invincible’s Group 2 winning 2YO, Santos ($6,600 fee) yearlings realised $150,000 in the ring.
Dubious ($13,200) – the dual Group winning 2YO by Not A Single Doubt – is poised to cover his third book of mares and not surprisingly has been matched up with some excellent mares in the first two seasons, as has Pierro’s brilliant 2YO, Bellevue Hill ($6,600). In fact, a Dubious colt was one of the most sought out foals at this month’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, selling for $200,000.
It’s always been Aquis Farm’s ‘mission’ to deliver precocious types in both the ring and on the track and they have certainly delivered this season with five of the stallions all producing multiple winners among their first crops.
Indeed, The Mission ($11,000 fee) is the equal leading first season sire by winners with nine individual winners thus far in 2021/22, while Snitzel’s Group 1 winning 2YO Invader ($22,000 fee) has five winners and is rapidly justifying the faith by owners who have spent up to $550,000 on his yearlings. Spieth ($8,800 fee) was likewise out of the gates early and chimed in again last Saturday with a 5-length victory for Kacy Fogden’s well named Victory Moments, while Group winning flyer, Jukebox ($6,600) and I Am Invincible’s Kobayashi ($8,800) also represent outstanding value given that each has produced multiple winners with their first 2YO runners - the latter chiming in with a well-timed, neck second in last Saturday’s Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic via Midnight in Tokyo. It’s worth noting that just 18 first crop stallions in Australia have produced winners to date in 2021/22 and five stand at Aquis!
Rounding out the 2022 roster is a trio of tried and true, including the highly promising Divine Prophet ($16,500) who’s oldest are three and include thrilling 2YO See You In Heaven (3 from 4 all at stakes level), 2022 Group 2 winning juvenile Promitto (2 from 2) and Fortunate Kiss (Group placed on debut). Meanwhile, Husson (320 winners) and Duporth (200 winners at 68%) – both standing at $4,400 – represent outstanding value given they are sires of Group 1 winners.
“I’m extremely proud and excited with the line-up Aquis is presenting to broodmare owners in 2022,” Aquis President, Justin Fung, enthused. “Every year the quality and depth of our roster has strengthened substantially and with the introduction of Jonker and Glenfiddich joining Pierata and company, there’s some exciting times ahead.”
Please contact any of our sales team at Aquis Farm to arrange a private viewing for any of the 2022 stallions.
Jonathan Davies (Director of Sales) - 0423 033 858
Paul Knight (Business Development Manager) – 0410 683 469
Penelope Crowley (Nominations) - 0427 857 788
Stallion Name |
2022 Fee |
Pierata |
44,000 |
Brave Smash (JPN) |
22,000 |
Invader |
22,000 |
Lean Mean Machine |
17,600 |
Divine Prophet |
16,500 |
Jonker (NEW) |
16,500 |
Dubious |
13,200 |
The Mission |
11,000 |
Glenfiddich (NEW) |
8,800 |
Kobayashi |
8,800 |
Spieth (NZ) |
8,800 |
Bellevue Hill |
6,600 |
Jukebox |
6,600 |
Performer |
6,600 |
Santos |
6,600 |
Duporth |
4,400 |
Husson (ARG) |
4,400 |