Cover image by Zuzanna Lupa courtesy of Aquis Farm
The son of Declaration Of War (USA) will be made available to breeders through Aquis' foundation farm at Canungra at $16,500 (inc GST), and becomes the third addition to the Queensland roster for 2020, joining fellow first-season stallion Dubious as well as Duporth, who has moved from Kooringal Stud in NSW.
Aquis has also added Group 1-winning Pierata to its Hunter Valley roster and it recently announced that a deal had been struck to stand Needs Further at its Victorian base. That takes the number of stallions across the three states to 17 for the 2020 season.
CEO Tony Williams said Aquis was relishing the opportunity to offer a stallion with the international race performance and pedigree of Olmedo to the Queensland market.
"We are very fortunate to have him in Queensland. Queensland breeders are going to be offered the opportunity to access a Group 1-winning and Classic-winning son of Declaration Of War," he told TDN AusNZ.
"Olmedo was a champion 2-year-old, a Classic winning 3-year-old and is a seriously, seriously nice type. We are fortunate to have a horse with natural speed, with Classic ability who then went on to win again at stakes level as a 4-year-old. He is durable as well."
"Olmedo was a champion 2-year-old, a Classic winning 3-year-old and is a seriously, seriously nice type." - Tony Williams
Bred by the Dream With Me Stable, Olmedo was purchased for €100,000 (AU$165,000) by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget at the 2016 Deauville Arqana Yearling Sale.
He was a dominant winner at Deauville on debut and at his third start was narrowly beaten in the G1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardere at Chantilly, with subsequent G1 Investec Derby winner Masar (Ire) finishing behind him in third.
At his second start back as a 3-year-old, he won the G1 French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp and as a 4-year-old he won the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville.
"I was fortunate enough when I was in Europe to be exposed to Classic racing and see horses that we would once only read about in Australia. I was fortunate enough to see him race and see a lot of the horses he beat on the track," Williams said.
He was purchased by Aquis to compete in Australia earlier this year and after one appearance for trainer Kacy Fogden, he was retired to stud.
"He only retired late last week officially. As a racehorse, acclimatisation didn't quite work for him here. So we're fortunate now to have him in the breeding barn and we are really happy to do so," Williams said.
"He only retired late last week officially... We're fortunate now to have him in the breeding barn and we are really happy to do so." - Tony Williams
"Many years ago, we’d only get the half-brother to this type of horse standing at stud in Australia. Now, we are exposed to them, we can get them.
"If you look at the list of French 2000 Guineas winners, Shamardal and Lope De Vega are two of the recent winners. They have both made big impressions at stud in Australia, but they are now lost to us. This horse won't be. He will be standing at Queensland and Queensland will be his home.
"He's as good an imported horse to come into Queensland for a long time, if not ever."
Australian breeders to make Declaration connection
Australian breeders will need no introduction to his sireline, with Declaration Of War having stood two seasons at Coolmore Australia, during which time he produced the 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare and 2019 Victoria Derby winner Warning as well as 2019 Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways.
Declaration Of War (USA)
"Declaration Of War's stats are second to none now, he's done an amazing job in Australasia. He's done a good job in the Northern Hemisphere but with Warning and Vow And Declare over the spring carnival and having an Oaks winner as well, he’s really done well,” Williams said.
Olmedo is Declaration Of War's highest-rated son, with a Timeform rating of 120, while his pedigree makes him a total outcross to the majority of sirelines in Australia.
"He's a complete outcross to Danehill. He can also go to More Than Ready mares and Zabeel mares," Williams said.
A commitment to Queensland
Williams said the decision to stand him in Queensland is a sign of the commitment the Fung family has to the state where it set up its operation five years ago.
"Queensland is where Aquis started. We have the farm at Canungra, which is owned by the Fung family. The racing and bloodstock enterprise was started in Queensland and there is a real affinity there. We wanted to offer a horse like Olmedo to the Queensland breeder and to make Queensland his home," he said.
Tony Williams
"Queensland is renowned for speed and this horse was a champion 2-year-old and then was able to win at 1600 metres as a 3-year-old. He is high quality, he's got speed, but he's certainly got strength and toughness to race on at three and four.
"At $16,500, he is really good value from a Queensland breeder point of view. Horses like this normally stand in the Hunter Valley, but it was decided to really make a statement about Queensland."
Williams said he feels Olmedo complements Aquis' other significant Queensland addition, Dubious, with the juvenile stakes-winning son of Not A Single Doubt to stand at $13,200 (inc GST) in his first season.
Dubious will stand his first-season at Aquis Canungra
It also further builds Aquis' impressive stallion roster across three states and reinforces its reputation as an emerging powerhouse in the Australian thoroughbred industry.
"At the moment, we are standing 17 stallions in three states. We have a long list of stallion prospects to go to stud over the next couple of years. Having the option of the three states really does give the opportunity to Aquis to place stallions in the state that best suits them," Williams, who joined as CEO at the start of 2020, said.
"It’s nice to come in to Aquis when things are going up like they are and be involved with the progression of the place. A lot of this hard work has been done in the past with Shane McGrath and all concerned with the organisation."
