While Aquis is a national and international racing and breeding operation now, it is very much connected to the state it set up its business in five years ago, with the farm at Canungra in south-east Queensland at the heart of its success.
Managing Director Shane McGrath said a Group 1 win in either of the feature races at Eagle Farm on Saturday would be tremendous fillip for the Fung family and the entire Aquis team.
"The Magic Millions Carnival and Queensland Winter Racing Carnival are significant parts of the Australian calendar. For us, Queensland is the heartbeat of the company and it'd be a massive thrill if we could get a Group 1 success. It’s exciting to be part of it," he said.
Shane McGrath (right)
Given Aquis' amazing success with 2-year-olds this year, highlighted by G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) as well as Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Away Game (Snitzel), who is part-owned by Loretta Fung, it comes as no surprise that it holds such a strong hand in Queensland's only juvenile Group 1 race, the JJ Atkins.
Five of 18 runners in the race have Aquis or the Fung family in their ownership, three of which were bred at the farm, while Aquis also bred one of the other runners.
It has recently bought into leading Queensland 2-year-old Wisdom Of Water (Headwater) as part of a deal with existing owners Golden East Horse which secured future breeding rights for the last-start G3 Ken Russell Classic winner.
Wisdom Of Water | Image by Albert Perez courtesy of AAP Photos
"We acquired an interest in the stallion rights of Wisdom Of Water. He's an extremely exciting colt. He's run fast times and he has rated really highly racing against what look a really quality bunch of 2-year-olds in Queensland. He's right at the top of that pecking order," McGrath said.
"He's drawn 10 on Saturday and with the speed outside of him, Trent and Toby (Edmonds) have done a great job with him so far. Robbie (Fradd) knows him really well. We are going in there with a fair degree of optimism."
"We are going in there with a fair degree of optimism." - Shane McGrath
Saffiano (More Than Ready {USA}) will be the flagbearer and carry the aqua and black colours in Saturday's Group 1 test. Bred by Aquis Farm, he was then purchased by an Aquis connected syndicate through Newhaven Park's draft for $600,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and has won one of his three starts.
Saffiano | Image by Brendon Thorne courtesy of AAP Photos
"He's a well-bred horse and will really appreciate the step up to the 1400 metres. Chris Waller has always got a sense of timing this time of year with the Queensland carnival," McGrath said.
"You can imagine he will be running on strong later in the piece and if they run along hard in front, he will be the one to watch to get over the top of them."
Aquis-bred and part-owned Macroura (Snitzel) is considered the leading chance of the fillies in the race having won her three starts to date for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Macroura | Image by Dan Himbrechts courtesy of AAP Photos
"She's a gun and we've had great success with Ciaron and David throughout the year. We've had a phenomenal year with the 2-year-olds," he said.
"She's still on the way up having won a stakes race last start. She's got really solid Sydney form, has got a good gate and a good rider on board. You can see her stalking the speed and she makes her own luck. She's tough, she's three from three and she's definitely one of the favourites."
Beans making it count
There are also two runners by former Aquis stallion Spill The Beans, who died last October and whose first crop has made quite the impression with 10 2-year-old winners, the most of any first-season sire in Australia.
Way Beyond was bred by Aquis, which retained a share when he was sold to Stuart Kendrick for $50,000 at last year's Magic Millions March Yearling Sale.
Way Beyond as a yearling
"Way Beyond is a really good Queensland story. We put the horse with Stuart Kendrick and raced him with a few of the stable stalwarts. He's a homebred and he's got the blinkers on and Spill The Beans himself really appreciated the blinkers," he said.
Kendrick also trains the other 2-year-old by Spill The Beans in the race, Cosmic Gossip, who is part-owned by Loretta Fung.
"Stuart does a good job with his 2-year-olds. Mrs Fung is delighted to have one by her favourite stallion," McGrath said.
"Mrs Fung is delighted to have one by her favourite stallion." - Shane McGrath
Aquis also bred the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Not An Option (Not A Single Doubt), who has been a Group 2 winner in New Zealand for her owners which include Cambridge Stud's Brendan and Jo Lindsay.
"He's a colt that we bred and sold through Curraghmore Farm as a yearling. We still have the mare Chintz, and we sent her to America. She's residing at Woods Edge Farm and she is in foal to US champion sire Curlin," McGrath said.
"If she could get a Group 1-winning 2-year-old that would be phenomenal. There are several significant New Zealand breeders involved with him and from the mare's profile, it would be enormous."
Not An Option
The many parts of Aquis on display
The six runners with the Aquis connection in the JJ Atkins S. all reflect different parts of the Aquis business, something which is not lost on McGrath.
"From the breeding side, you have the progeny of Chintz, from a stallion perspective, we've got two by Spill The Beans and from our stallion-building side of things, we’ve got Saffiano and Wisdom Of Water. It's a great illustration of the many parts of Aquis within the race," he said.
Aquis' influence also extends to the Stradbroke H. where it holds part ownership in two runners, Dawn Passage (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and Graff (Star Witness).
Dawn Passage | Image by Simon Bullard courtesy of AAP Photos
"Dawn Passage is a leading chance and while he's drawn wide, speaking to the trainers, we are not too concerned with that as he is a free rolling horse. We were happy enough to be drawn outside as he is a horse that needs galloping room," he said.
"He's got a winner's profile, 3-year-olds have a great record and with the weight, he's the one they have to beat."
"He's the one they have to beat." - Shane McGrath
Along with Australian Bloodstock, Aquis bought into Graff, a close relative of Dawn Passage, earlier this year and McGrath thinks the 4-year-old can prove a knockout chance from an inside barrier with a light weight.
Success in the final Group 1 races of the Australian racing season would prove an excellent way to cap a brilliant year for Aquis.
"It’s been a year like no other. It's what you set out to do, but not in your wildest dreams we would have thought we would have had the success we have had. It’s testament to that system we have in place," McGrath said.
