Cover image courtesy of Kia Ora Stud
The Scone-based Kia Ora Stud has a large quality broodmare band to support their three-strong roster, headed by the very exciting G1 Golden Slipper-winning sire Farnan, and the exciting young Group 1-winning juvenile Captivant.
The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Kia Ora’s Bloodstock and Breeding Manager, Shane Wright, to discuss the excitement surrounding their roster, the start that Farnan has made, and the form of their racing team.
“It’s been a great couple of months for the racing team and it’s great to see them firing coming into the spring. To have the likes of Inkaruna, Esha, My Gladiola, Tupakara and others running around is very exciting,” Wright said.
Shane Wright | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We also have Tropicus who won a Group 3 at his last start and is a dual Group 3 winning homebred by Too Darn Hot that is still a colt. He is very exciting and it would be great to see him work his way to become a stallion one day, hopefully.
“We have worked hard buying yearlings and breeding fillies to keep and race to build a strong racing team, and at the moment that is working well. We really want to integrate these successful fillies into the broodmare band like we are with Eneeza and Mumbai Muse this year.”
Farnan’s quick start out of the blocks
It’s no surprise that Farnan has made a quick start to his stud career, as that is precisely what he did as a racehorse, winning five of his six juvenile starts, culminating in success in the G1 Golden Slipper which crowned him Champion 2-year-old of the season.
Farnan | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
The son of Not A Single Doubt ended the season third on the first-season sires list behind Ole Kirk and Wootton Bassett (GB). He sired 14 individual winners in Australia – the most by any first-season sire – including three stakes winners: North England, King Of Pop and Recuperato. He also produced the Group-placed duo Farnicle and Farcited.
“Farnan did exceptionally well with his first crop, he has excellent numbers coming through, they look to have come back as 3-year-olds well, and he is a stallion we have a lot of faith in, so it makes a lot of sense that we support him heavily again.
“We are treating him as a big stallion and the mares heading to him back that thinking up.”
Many quality mares are lined up for the Slipper winner
Jennifer Eccles (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), a mare purchased by Kia Ora Stud via Gavelhouse for NZ$800,000 as a broodmare purchase, was crowned New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year in 2019/2020, won the G1 New Zealand Oaks and three additional Group races.
Her maiden mating was with Farnan and she produced Farnicle, who has been a winner and placed in the G2 Sires' Produce Stakes.
“We like buying lovely Kiwi mares that have that good toughness about them. She is a beautiful mare, great type, great temperament and was a Group 1 winner. The colt (Farnicle) is very promising, has been Group-placed, and this just looked a very sensible mating. And one very easy to make.
Jennifer Eccles (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“She has a very nice I Am Invincible filly that will head to Easter next year.”
Another quality mare for Farnan, is Bubble Rock (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}), a US$1.5 million (AU$2.25 million) purchase from last year’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She won five races, including the G2 Mrs Revere Stakes and the G3 Belmont Matron Stakes, and was placed in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara.
“Bubble Rock has produced a lovely I Am Invincible colt and we are very happy with her first foal, we bought her from America and she placed in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara behind Bella Nipotina here in Australia.”
Bubble Rock (USA) | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
Farm favourite Pavitra (American Pharoah), a half-sister to Wild Ruler, won the G3 Kembla Grange Classic and was placed in both the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes and the G1 VRC Oaks is also heading Farnan’s way.
“Pavitra is one of the favourites on the farm, she is a half sister to Wild Ruler and was a good mare in her own right. She has had a pair of lovely Snitzel fillies and we feel like Farnan really suits her, with that same Redoute's Choice sireline, so we are happy to go with that mating.”
Pavitra | Image courtesy of Kia Ora Stud
Another interesting mare for Farnan is Blessed Truly (Can) (Souper Speedy {USA}), a Listed winner purchased at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale for $700,000 in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB).
“We purchased Blessed Truly from Magic Millions and she has produced a Too Darn Colt for us earlier this month. She is a close relation to Switzerland, so we have followed that same sireline mating of Redoute's Choice and are going to Farnan.”
“We love the pedigree cross but believe she will produce a lovely type by him, as we want to breed touch, sound, good looking horses.”
Star mare Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}), who won the G1 Coolmore Classic, has a Farnan 2-year-old colt, an Anamoe yearling filly, and will visit Farnan this spring after missing to Snitzel last year.
Captivant’s sireline is quick
Among the mares to be served by Kia Ora Stud's Captivant who has his first runners about to line up this season, includes Sakanta (Snitzel), a full sister to Wild Ruler, and More Than Real (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}), a winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and dam of Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock) – herself the dam of last year’s G1 Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon).
Captivant | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
“We are excited by Captivant, he himself is a big scopey stallion, he was precocious and the sirelline is quick, Written Tycoon has dominated the Slipper in recent times and Captivant was a pre-Christmas winner, and a G1 Champagne Stakes winner as a juvenile.
“He has had a 2-year-old colt win a couple of trials in New Zealand already, and the word is he will have some early ones at the Sydney first 2-year-old trials.”
“We are sending him some really good mares, Sakanta is a homebred, and is a very well-bred and good looking mare, and More Than Real has one of the best pedigrees you can find, and the family has a Written Tycoon Slipper winner in Lady Of Camelot, so the cross works.
Sakanta | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“She has had a couple of nice Farnans and foaled a lovely Zoustar colt, but we think the timing is right to send her to Captivant. We have a lot of faith in the horse.”
Prague’s progeny to improve at three
“There is no secret that his 2-year-olds haven't set the track ablaze, but we think his progeny are just a bit of slow-burners and he will get on a run soon.
“Stallions by that sireline like The Autumn Sun and Not A Single Doubt were a bit slow to get going and went on to great things so we are hopeful Prague can do that. It would be no surprise if he gets a big run of winners over the next couple of months.
Prague | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
“We are still supporting him with a couple of nice mares in Inglorious and Queen Of Dubai.”
Inglorious (Can) (Hennessy {USA}) was a Champion Canadian filly and has left six winners including the stakes-placed Miss Canada (Exceed And Excel), while Queen Of Dubai (Pride Of Dubai) is a Listed winner due to foal to Home Affairs this spring.
Not afraid to use elite outside stallions
The Kia Ora team are strong believers in finding the best possible type and mating for each mare, and with a deep band of high-quality broodmares, they have always been willing to utilise the best stallions across the country.
Explaining this approach, Wright said, “Kia Ora has always been very proud of our broodmare band, and more importantly, the success of our graduates. We support our own stallions with very good mares, we also breed to outside stallions that we believe match well and can help produce athletes and potential broodmares down the line.
Mares and foals in the paddocks at Kia Ora Stud | Image courtesy of Kia Ora Stud
“We have had some great success lately and many of those top class fillies are making their way into the broodmare band like Eneeza, Mumbai Muse and others.
"This is something we want to keep on improving and adding to, racing fillies to become stakes placed or well-performed and then added to our breeding system.
Among the outside stallions Kia Ora will use this spring are Champion Sires Zoustar and I Am Invincible.
Two mares visiting Zoustar include Serasana (Snitzel), a Group 2 winner on the track, and Summer Fun (I Am Invincible), the dam of the Group 1 winner Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}), Summer Fun has just foaled a Snitzel colt.
Kia Ora are big fans of ‘Vinnie’
Some of the mares lined up to visit I Am Invincible include classy race fillies such as Eneeza (Exceed And Excel), a Group 2, Group 3 and Listed winner, and Mumbai Muse (Zoustar), a Group 3 and Listed winner.
I Am Invincible | Standing at Yarraman Park
Key (Exceed And Excel), a proven producer from the prolific Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago) family, will also head his way, as will Gypsy Robin (USA) (Daaher {Can}), who has already proven herself in the barn as the dam of Wild Ruler and Pavitra.
“He is a Champion sire and we have had a lot of luck using him, and we have My Gladiola currently doing the job. We are always happy to use him.
“These Champion stallions are Champion stallions for a reason, and they can sell well, and they can also make future broodmares for the farm’s band,” Wright said.
Other outside stallions utilised
Coolmore Stud's Home Affairs has been selected for one of Kia Ora Stud's star mares in Villa Verde (Not A Single Doubt) has been in the spotlight as the dam of the very talented My Gladiola (I Am Invincible).
“She has been great,” Wright said. “She was unlucky in the Quezette, then won the Cap D’Antibes very well. She foaled a lovely Ole Kirk colt, and is going to visit Home Affairs.
“He has some nice stock around and we thought we would go with a son of I Am Invincible for her mating," Wright commented.
My Gladiola | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Star mare Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}), winner of the G1 Coolmore Classic, has a lovely Anamoe yearling filly and is booked to Extreme Choice.
“He is an unbelievable stallion statistically, we all know his fertility issues, but we are happy to have a crack with him and if she doesn't get in foal she can go to Farnan, but it is worth having a go.”
Kia Ora is also sending mares to Ole Kirk, including Mileva (Headwater), a G3 winner and three-time Listed winner, who is due to foal to Zoustar and will head to Vinery Stud, and Modern Wonder (Snitzel), who is about to foal to Anamoe.
“We are very happy to use Ole Kirk. We have a great friendship with Vinery and Ole Kirk and Farnan had a great battle for first season honours, going toe-to-toe all of the way and it looks like they may do the same this season.
Ole Kirk | Standing at Vinery Stud
“You have to keep looking at the new guns, as now sadly with Snitzel passing away and I Am Invincible getting older, so we are happy to support him.
“We also are going to send a few to Starlust, he is a really interesting one being by Zoustar and out of a Breeders’ Cup winner and having dam bloodlines a little less normal than the Australian ones. Kia Ora has never been afraid to go with international bloodlines.
“We also like Prost who stands at Aquis, we raced him and he looks like getting a good book, we are still in the ownership of him. He is by Snitzel, he ran in all the big ones, comes from a great family, and we think he is a value chance.”
If the system works, don’t change it
One theme that runs strongly through Kia Ora’s breeding philosophy is a willingness to replicate matings that have worked before, or to use proven sideline crosses with half-brothers and close relations.
It’s a sensible strategy, and Wright says it is something they consciously apply, as long as the physical match works as well.
“If the system works then why try and re-invent it.
"We have no problem utilising our stallions as we have complete and utter faith in them, but we always look at all of our mares across the board in order to try to find the right match physically and on pedigree. But always remembering what cross has worked before, and potentially looking to replicate what has worked before.
“When we find a sireline that works, we are more than happy to stick with it.”
