With two stakes-wins underneath his belt, including Saturday's Listed Winter Championship Final at Flemington, expectations have been raised for 4-year-old Reykjavik, who has become a timely banner horse for his sire Artie Schiller (USA).
While trainer Lindsey Smith is plotting a path to the G1 Railway S. in Perth in the spring for Reykjavik, Stockwell Thoroughbreds' Mike Becker is hoping the impressive nature of the win on Saturday will act as a reminder of to the value of his sire who stands his second season back at the Victorian-based farm in 2019.
"Timing is everything in this business isn’t it? As people are considering their matings for the year, it's nice to have a horse who can poke his hand up and remind people what a good stallion he is and has been. They get forgotten pretty easily," Becker said.
Artie Schiller
Artie Schiller, who has now sired 47 stakes-winners globally, including 13 in Australia, is now permanently based in Australia after Becker and his son Brodie purchased him to stand for $13,200 (inc GST).
"He didn’t cover a huge book of mares last year, but he hadn't had a stand-up horse for a while. His runners-to-winners was very high as it always has been, but you need that stand-up horse at the right time and hopefully Reykjavik can do it for him at this time of year," he said.
"As people are considering their matings for the year, it's nice to have a horse who can poke his hand up and remind people what a good stallion he is and has been." - Mike Becker
"We are not looking to take on mass numbers to him. If we could get 80 mares to him this year, we would say that is a huge success. He's 18 now, we just want to look after him and keep him going for a couple of more years."
The Beckers are expecting a resurgence from Artie Schiller in the next two years off the back of the significant numbers he served in 2016. That same season his son Flying Artie won the G1 Coolmore Stud S.
"We bought him last year knowing that his current crop of yearlings is the biggest and most commercial crop of foals he has the opportunity to cover," he said. "If he can continue to maintain the strike rate he has always had, which is up close to 70 per cent, it’s only a matter of time before he finds another good horse."
The life of Artie
Artie Schiller was Australia's champion second-season sire in 2011-12, producing 24 winners including his first Australian Group 1 winner Laser Hawk in the Rosehill Guineas.
As fate would have it, he missed the 2010 Australian season, meaning just as the buzz on his progeny was growing, he had no yearlings at the sales.
"He'd just been named champion second season sire in Australia and suddenly he didn’t have a crop. People forget very quickly, then he came back and a season later got injured and only had small crops for a few years," Becker said.
"We’ve watched his ups and downs, but through it all he's maintained that high strike rate of runners to winners and a very high strike rate of black-type performers to runners." - Mike Becker
"You are competing against stallions who have 100s of runners and they can have their names up there all the time. We’ve watched his ups and downs, but through it all he's maintained that high strike rate of runners to winners and a very high strike rate of black-type performers to runners."
Artie Schiller's first Australian G1 winner, Laser Hawk winning the Rosehill Guineas
He has produced 63 winners in Australia this season, the fourth straight year he has topped 50 winners and his fourth top year inside the Top 60 on the Champion Sires' Table.
"We are looking forward to this new crop of 2-year-olds coming through in the hope, by the time we have got something to sell from last year or this year's matings, he's going to have a good number in the market." Becker said,
The stallion himself is in great health, says Becker, aided by the fact he is no longer shuttling, with his focus purely on Australia.
"He's in fine fettle. His fertility is very good. He looks as good as I've ever seen him look. Not travelling back to the States, it’s just allowed him to really settle and fill out and develop," he said.
"He is always looking to have a blue, old Artie. He's a tough character, but at the same time, he is very relaxed and in the best order I've ever seen him in."
Breeder's support pays off
Rejkjavik's victory was also a bonus for his breeder, Perth-based James Ch'ng, who has been a strong supporter of Artie Schiller.
Ch'ng keeps his mares at Glenelg Park at Euroa in Victoria, where Reykjavik was foaled, and his victory in the feature race of the winter at Flemington was also a considerable boost for Glenelg Park's Danny and Sarina Swain.
Reykjavik
"It's what every farm is trying to achieve," Danny Swain said. "He's done a fantastic job since he has changed to Lindsey Smith's stable. He has really stepped up."
"James Ch'ng lives in Perth, and he's got mares with us, and he breeds to race. Some stay in Victoria and some go back to WA. He was one of those who was chosen to go over there, and went there as a yearling and got broken in."
"He's done a fantastic job since he has changed to Lindsey Smith's stable. He has really stepped up." - Danny Swain
Reykjavik was initially trained by Paula Wagg, but moved to Lindsay Smith's stables about 18 months ago, winning five of his 17 starts, including the Listed Hannans Hcp at Kalgoorlie last October.
He has benefited from Smith's decision to set up stables at Warrnambool in Victoria, coming east to claim a second stakes win on Saturday.
Reykjavik's proud connections after his Flemington win, including breeder James Ch'ng
His dam, Gibraltar Storm (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) foaled a full brother at Glenelg Park last year, while she missed on her third visit to Artie Schiller last year.
"The weanling, he's a nice colt, an athletic style, nice and correct, hopefully he can live up to the what the family have done," Swain said.
One of four of five mares Ch'ng has at the Euroa property, Gibraltar Storm's destination for the upcoming season is not yet determined.
