Cover image courtesy of Peter Rubery
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.
The 2018 Skyline S. hero’s milestone came via the Stephen Marsh-trained Ulanova, who blitzed her rivals in the Taranaki G3 2YO Classic (1200 metres) at New Plymouth.
Aquis Farm’s Director of Sales, Jonathan Davies, told TDN AusNZ Ulanova’s win is hopefully the first of many for Santos – a son of Champion Sire I Am Invincible.
“It’s incredibly important, it’s what we all strive for with our first-season stallions, to get stakes-winning 2-year-olds on the board, such is the nature of racing and breeding in Australia,” Davies explained.
“To to get a stakes winner with the first crop is just one box to tick and now we just go on and tick a few more boxes.
“It’s incredibly important, it’s what we all strive for with our first-season stallions, to get stakes-winning 2-year-olds on the board, such is the nature of racing and breeding in Australia.” - Jonathan Davies
“She’s (Ulanova) a highly promising filly. Her run in the Karaka Million was one of the better runs in the race and it was great to see her notch up a Group 3 win for Santos.”
Santos, who won two of his eight starts and $255,100 in prizemoney, hasn’t had a huge book of mares in each of his four seasons at stud, but that could well be about to change.
In 2019, Santos had 83 live foals, with that number dropping to 38 in the succeeding year. There were just 10 live foals in 2021 and Santos covered 35 mares last spring.
Ulanova is just one of 10 Santos 2-year-olds to have been to the races. Chop The Ice, Karakaroo, Sandual and Santastico have also faced the starter and each of that quartet has placed.
Santos | Standing at Aquis Farm
“His progeny have all shown some level of ability, which has been good, and I think there’s a few that will step out over the coming month or two that their trainers have a good opinion of,” Davies added.
“It’s a promising start and we’ve got some good shareholders in the stallion that have got some (progeny) by him that are yet to step out, which is exciting.
“Hopefully, off the back of Ulanova and the ability his progeny are showing, we should see an uprise in numbers in the coming years.
“Mount Hallowell Stud is a shareholder in Santos and they have a few coming through their system that they have a good opinion of, so we’ll keep our eyes on the West.”
Ulanova was bred by Ancroft Stud and sold through Kilgravin Lodge’s draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale to expatriate Kiwi agent Michael Wallace for NZ$150,000.
“It’s a promising start and we’ve got some good shareholders in the stallion (Santos) that have got some (progeny) by him that are yet to step out, which is exciting.” - Jonathan Davies
His Lexington-based Telluride Agency races the filly with brother David and American client Kuldeep Singh Rajput’s Gandharvi Racing.
Meanwhile, at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, two Santos colts made a combined $125,000. Anthony Freedman Racing and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $100,000 for Lot 723 – a half-brother to the stakes performer Lanigera (Denman). The colt, who is out of the winning Exceed And Excel mare Chinchilla, was offered by Longwood Thoroughbred Farm.
And Leigh Wanless – brother to the highly successful owner-breeder Ron, went to $25,000 for a colt from Book 2. He was consigned by Fig Tree Farm and is out of the winning Snitzel mare Jalaurabel, who is a half-sister to the stakes performer Amerryking (King Of Roses).
Davies said having experienced and well-respected judges buying Santos’ progeny can only be a good thing.
“He throws a tough type and trainers seem to like them,” he said.
Jonathan Davies | Image courtesy of Racing Queensland
“Once word gets out about a stallion’s progeny and their attitude and how they conduct themselves around the stables… good news travels fast, bad news travels faster.”
Ulanova is out of the Group 3-placed winner The Fairy’s Kiss (Elusive Quality {USA}) and she was bought, carrying Ulanova, by Paul Willetts Bloodstock for $100,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, when offered by Aquis Farm.
“We sold her at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale and Paul Willetts purchased her; it’s been a great result,” Davies said.
“Mick Wallace picked out Ulanova as a yearling at Karaka and we all know he’s a very good judge of a yearling, and his brother is in the ownership, too.”
Ulanova was ridden to victory on Saturday by veteran jockey Craig Grylls, who believes the filly “is a pretty fair animal who we will see a lot more of”.
Santos has one yearling catalogued for this month’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, that being Lot 822 – a filly from the draft of Mane Lodge. She is from the winning Northern Meteor mare Parker’s Piece (NZ).
Aquis Farm’s young guns firing on all cylinders
Santos is one of four freshman Aquis Farm sires that sit in the top 15 first-season sires (by prizemoney) in Australia for season 2022/23.
Brave Smash (Jpn), who has the exciting, unbeaten juvenile Brave Halo headed towards the G1 Blue Diamond S., is fourth. He has two winners from 11 runners.
Brave Halo, unbeaten in his three starts to date at Ascot | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Just below him in fifth is Performer, who has earnings of $148,840, thanks to Mishani Maverick.
Lean Mean Machine (10th) has had just the two runners to the races and the Chris Munce-trained Freeman won on debut at Doomben, while Santos is 13th. Furthermore, The Mission is fourth and Invader ninth on the second-season sires’ list.
“We’re very excited with the group of sires we’ve got coming through.
“We’re very excited with the group of sires we’ve got coming through.” - Jonathan Davies
“Brave Smash and Lean Mean Machine have both sired metropolitan 2-year-old winners from just a few runners. Brave Smash has got the unbeaten Brave Halo, who is heading East for the Blue Diamond, so it will be very exciting to see him step out in Melbourne.
“Lean Mean Machine’s yearlings were incredibly well-received at the sales and we expect his progeny to be later 2-year-old types. For him to already have a metropolitan winner is a great start and shows the ability they have.”
