‘The proof is in the pudding’: Farnan set for Magic Millions success

Cover image courtesy of Kia Ora Stud

Coated in talent from the moment he stepped onto the racetrack, there always seemed to be something special about Farnan.

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In fact, the belief in his quality extended to well before his dominant pre-Christmas maiden win as a 2-year-old in Canberra, with Phoenix Thoroughbreds (Ii) and Aquis parting with $550,000 to secure him at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Five years later, the first Farnan yearlings will be offered at the first major Australian thoroughbred auction of the year, one which has drawn in plenty of buyers aiming to find their G1 Golden Slipper winning colt, in the footsteps of the son of Not A Single Doubt.

With 34 of his progeny set to go through the ring from Tuesday, The Thoroughbred Report spoke with Kia Ora Stud’s Breeding and Bloodstock Manager, Shane Wright, to learn more about their debuting stallion.

Belief burns brightly in Farnan

One of the most electric 2-year-olds of modern times, Farnan retired with a promising future ahead of him at stud, and with his progeny now starting to emerge on the sales circuit, anticipation has once again built around what he can achieve, albeit in a different context.

Kia Ora have been happy to get behind both him and fellow freshman sire Prague, with the pair featuring prominently in both their draft, as well as from outside breeders.

Ahead of the first day of selling on Tuesday, Wright told The Thoroughbred Report of his eagerness to see what can be achieved by Farnans lots.

“We're very enthusiastic and can't wait for the hammers to start going down and see where they all end up in their new homes,” he said.

“There's been very good feedback from both vendors and potential purchasers (about Farnan and Prague), we believe they'll sell well, but they deserve to with the kind of types that the two stallions have thrown.

“Golden Slipper winners are very nearly impossible to get your hands on. So one of his calibre that had his speed, it was something that we just thought we had to do.

“The proof is in the pudding. We've got great numbers about him, and Prague as well.

“Farnan has that profile, he's a Champion 2-Year-Old, a Slipper winner, and by Not A Single Doubt, he's proven, sons like Extreme Choice that stand now. He (Not A Single Doubt) has become a real sires’ sire.

“He's (Farnan) got great support from day one and in his first three seasons he's got not only a good quantity of mares but also a very high quality of mares, which we think is important.

“This being his first sale here, we've gone around and we've seen them all and we couldn't be happier with what we've seen.

“I think a lot of the breeders that supported us very well and the likes of Bell River, there's Telemon Thoroughbreds, that's two out of several dozen people that supported us that (we believe) are going to get very well rewarded this week.”

But what exactly will buyers be able to get out of their Farnan yearlings? According to Wright, it’s not as cut and dry as early 2-year-old runners, although that’s not to say there won’t be a number of those, as he tells it.

“I think there's actually a good cross reference for him here. There's some we've seen that look very precocious, ready to go on, the Magic Millions sale is obviously the best place for them.

“You'll definitely get 2-year-olds, but there's also some very nice colts and fillies there as well, that looked like they'll have good longevity and keep maturing and do very well going forward as well.

“It’s the same with Prague, we've looked around (at) his stock too, we just could not be happier. You'd own and be happy to race any one of them in the sale here, they're just a very nice, solid, strong forward-type breed.

“They're not making any more sons of Redoute’s (Choice) anymore, so we're very happy to have Prague on the roster and just seeing the types he's thrown, he's a very big chance (to have success) going forward.

“If you support a stallion like Farnan, for example, you're going on the back that he's going to get good 2-year-olds, so people were very quick to send their mares there this year, thinking that they might never see that same service fee again because he could go up, and we hope he goes up in the future!”

Market condition worries offset by sensible service fees

As the hours ticked down to the final inspections being in the books, Wright acknowledged the worry that has emerged around what segments of the markets may do, particularly away from the upper-echelon of prices banded about for high-quality stock.

Despite this, he remains bullish on how Farnan will fare, owing to the decisions made when setting his initial service fee, which was $55,000 (inc GST).

“People think he was a very well-valued stallion, in this market at the minute and the climate we're in, people are always looking for value, so we believe they (our stallions) were priced very well so they got very good support.

“If you look at last year, there was a slight correction in the market. I think the premium-quality yearlings are always going to make good money. So will the really well-bred fillies and the stallion prospects going forward, while the middle and lower market were a little bit softer.

“Then if you look at the stallions around, you've obviously got the very high-end I A Invincibles and Snitzels of the world, but I think there is a place in the market there for some of these young sires to come in at their fee and really have an impact, and we believe our team will do that.

“We've had a very busy week here, Magic's has done a great job bringing a big number of potential buyers through and foot traffic has been great.”

Pressed on whether there was a particular standout amongst his draft, Wright pointed to a daughter of Farnan who has been met with plenty of intrigue by prospective buyers across the inspection period.

“We've got a strong draft here; we really supported our own stallions as well. We don't expect breeders to make them, we just want them along for the ride when the success comes. So, we've got some very nice Farnans and Pragues here and I think a highlight Lot 614, the Farnan filly out of Ektifaa.

“She's out of a More Than Ready mare and there's a 2-year-old I Am Invincible as well that Gai Waterhouse trains, I think it has a big future ahead of it. She's been going down very well but she's very much in the Not A Single Doubt type, just the best action you'll see on the ground.

“It's a quality individual, she's been very popular but across the board the whole draft has been busy and fingers crossed for a successful week going forward.”

Expanded roster to come?

Kia Ora’s recent push into standing stallions on their property has landed them a trio of exciting young sires, with Captivant standing alongside the aforementioned Farnan and Prague.

But is three a crowd? According to Wright, if the right stallion comes along to join the roster, the operation will jump at the chance.

“We’ve been getting back into the stallion business, Farnan and Prague have been our foundation stallions, so for both of them to have yearlings here at the Magic Millions, and not just yearlings but some very, very nice horses to sell this weekend, it’s very exciting.

“Kia Ora historically, it's been a very successful stallion farm. Although we didn't stand any on our own property, there were always stallion shares we were involved in. We've been quite lucky to be involved in some very good stallions over the years. The opportunity arose to actually stand stallions again, and you have to look at it closely, but then a horse like Farnan comes on your radar and it's just too good an opportunity to pass by.

“We're always looking, and we always want to add to our roster, but I think if you look through our roster there with Farnan, Prague and Captivant as well, the youngest horse on the roster, we're very happy with our roster and the three young stallions we have.

“We are always looking to add to it, but we're not going to stand a stallion we're not happy to get 110 per cent behind ourselves and send some very nice mares to, and we believe has a genuine chance going forward.”