'The real deal': Unbeaten Aristopolos flying Armidale Stud's flag

Cover image courtesy of Tas Racing

On Sunday, 2-year-old colt Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica {Fr}) kept his unbeaten streak intact and delivered his sire a first Southern Hemisphere stakes winner with just two runners to the track in Australia. His victory in the Listed Elwick Stakes is an important milestone not just for the Coolmore Stud shuttler, but also for breeder Armidale Stud ahead of next month’s Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

The real deal

A graduate of Armidale Stud’s Magic Millions Tasmania draft last year, Aristopolos was a $60,000 purchase for his trainer John Blacker and he exploded onto the scene in November when winning his debut trial by six lengths at Launceston. Returning to the track for his raceday debut five weeks later, he accelerated past his opposition to post victory by two lengths.

Back at Launceston in the second week of January, Aristopolos was again too good for his opposition and earned himself a short-priced quote for the Listed race on Sunday. Partnered by jockey Erica Byrne Burke for the third successive start, the colt was too strong in the home straight to win by a length and a quarter, raising his total earnings to over $162,000.

“This guy looks like the real deal,” enthused Armidale Stud Managing Director David Whishaw. “He’s been a perfect flagbearer for the farm and at the right time of year as well. Now he’s strung three together, I’m sure they will be getting offers from Hong Kong.”

The victory moves St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) into sixth spot in the first season sires’ premiership and makes him one of only four amongst that number to have achieved a stakes winner already - and from only two runners on Australian shores. An additional feather in his cap is that only Tiger Of Malay has produced an individual runner to earn more than Aristopolos so far, and that is courtesy of a chunk of the prize money from the $3 million R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

“He’s the first stakes winner for his sire in the Southern Hemisphere, and he doesn’t look like a one-hit wonder either. All of his wins have been impressive, and he looks like he has more improvement to come.”

Stallions with potential

Aristopolos is the third foal out of Flying Krupt (Krupt), a five-time metropolitan winner in South Australia and Victoria who was beaten a head in the Listed City of Adelaide Handicap. She chalked up a further nine placings in town during a 23-start career, recording seconds and thirds at Flemington and Caulfield.

“Adrian Hancock sourced her for us,” said Whishaw. “She was trained by Phillip Stokes, and Adrian knows we are always on the lookout for fast running mares with Melbourne metropolitan form, which she had. She was a tough, fast, sound mare with stakes performances, so Adrian put her under our nose and we bought her off the track.”

The family is built from consistent sprint types; Flying Krupt’s dam Morethanapenny (More Than Ready {USA}) was a half-sister to The Big Goodbye (Host {Chi}), an 11-time winning sprinter whose record includes the Listed Ramornie Handicap and the Listed Ascot Handicap, and multiple placings up to Group 3 level.

Further back is Malaysian Champion 3YO Sprinter Perfect Pins (NZ) (Pins) who ran third in the G1 Krisflyer International Sprint, one of a handful of internationally recognised Group 1s in the jurisdiction, and 13-time winner Palace General (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who finished fourth or better 12 times in Macau’s black-type races.

Flying Krupt’s third dam La Cent (NZ) (Centaine) was a juvenile winner and a full sister to blue hen Escada (NZ), dam of Group 1 winners Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}) and Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), amongst several stakes producers.

When formulating the mating with St Mark’s Basilica, Whishaw leaned on the power of the Coolmore shuttler’s damsire Galileo (Ire) and the tried and true nick with Danehill (USA), Flying Krupt being by Danehill-line sire Krupt. In various combinations, Danehill and Galileo have been responsible for some 107 Group 1 winners - amongst them the likes of Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock), Frankel (GB), Highland Reel (Ire), Sotsass (Fr), and St Mark’s Basilica himself - and a further 500 stakes winners.

Danehill also makes his appearance in St Mark’s Basilica’s pedigree as the damsire of Siyouni (Fr), and makes a second appearance on Flying Krupt’s page above her second dam Penny Opera (NZ) (Danasinga).

“We loved the mating,” Whishaw said. “St Mark’s Basilica has a strong, fast pedigree that fit with Flying Krupt’s, and they produced a lovely foal together.”

After missing to Armidale Stud resident Needs Further in 2024, leaving her with no yearling for this year’s Tasmanian sale, Flying Krupt travelled back to New South Wales to visit Newgate Farm's King’s Gambit and delivered a colt in 2025. She subsequently patronised Armidale’s newest edition G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (colts & geldings) winner Bodyguard in his first season at stud.

“He’s a very nice individual,” Whishaw said of her King’s Gambit colt. “We liked King’s Gambit’s pedigree and speed, and he was a young, first season sire in our price bracket that we thought really had the potential to make it as a stallion.”

New blood well received in Tasmania

Being that both King’s Gambit and Bodyguard are fast, juvenile-performed sons of I Am Invincible, Whishaw is keen to see what Flying Krupt foals down in 2026.

Also, the winner of the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes in a career curtailed by injury before he could demonstrate his full potential, Bodyguard stood his first season at Armidale Stud in 2025 for a fee of $8800 (inc GST), becoming the first son of I Am Invincible to stand on the Apple Isle.

He was visited by 95 mares including stakes winner Chinchilla (Exceed And Excel), dam of Listed Mode Stakes winner West Of Dalby (Santos), and 10-time winner Gee Gees Top Notch (Wordsmith), dam of Listed TTC Newmarket Handicap winner Geegees Gemstone (Alpine Eagle).

The number and quality of mare is a ringing endorsement for Armidale Stud’s newest resident.

“It’s a difficult time for the level where we are playing in the market,” Whishaw said. “But Bodyguard was very well supported down here. I believe he covered around 30% of the mares that were covered in the state.”

Keeping it commercial

Armidale Stud sends a number of mares to the mainland each year, which is reflected in their 2026 Magic Millions Tasmania draft, where the stud will offer yearlings by first season sires Artorius, State Of Rest (Ire), In The Congo, and Bruckner, as well as Stay Inside, Tiger Of Malay, and Extreme Warrior, whose first 2-year-olds have all been busy making a name for themselves. The race track success of the latter three bodes well for the stud’s decision to gamble on the stallions in their second seasons at stud.

“We send five to 10 mares to the mainland every year,” Whishaw said. “It varies so much as to where our most commercial mares are, if they've got an early pregnancy or late pregnancy or if they are empty, and what stallions we like in that particular year. We've sent less out this year because we've got a new first season stallion ourselves that we want to support heavily and give him the best mares we've got.”

In addition, the sales ring in Tasmania commands less impressive prices than that of the Gold Coast or in Sydney; Armidale Stud offered two of last year’s three top lots that all sold for $80,000 apiece, and the sale’s record price is $160,000. Of the 10 top priced yearlings in the sale’s history, Armidale have offered six, five of whom have been by mainland stallions.

“We still need to attract mainland buyers to the sale, and a lot of them will come down for these big ticket items, especially if the sires are currently having a lot of success on the mainland. When they come down here, they also have a good look at the produce by our local stallions, and it’s important that we continue to encourage that when we have a young stallion to promote.”

Tasmanian studs have to think carefully about the logistics and cost of sending mares across the water for matings, and the matings have to be right to merit the travel. Of the yearlings in Armidale’s draft this year, those conceived on the highest service fees are by Capitalist, Shamus Award, and Pinatubo (Ire), none of whom commanded six figure fees at the time.

“We do love supporting proven stallions where we can, but sadly, the market has got to a stage where a lot of the proven stallions that have the most commercial appeal in the sales ring are just priced a bit out of our reach,” Whishaw said. “We would have to overmate our mares to use those stallions.

“We like using proven stallions for young mares where we can to try and give them every chance of success, but there is so much risk involved in sending mares to the mainland for a service fee north of $30,000. It really adds up for us.”

On the flipside, production costs in Tasmania are lower than on the mainland, which is where Armidale can balance the books.

“We get all the benefits of being able to grow them out down in Tassie,” said Whishaw. “We have several clients that run mares with us as well that send mares up to Victoria or New South Wales to be bred, but then grow their stock out with us, because the money they spend on travel, they save in agistment down here.”

All roads lead to the ring

The 2026 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale will be held on February 23, and Armidale Stud has prepared a draft of 28 for this year’s edition, with 15 mainland stallions represented in their draft along with 10 yearlings by Armidale stalwarts Needs Further and Alpine Eagle. Whishaw is sure that this year’s draft will provide as many opportunities for buyers as previous years.

“We have an outstanding Pinatubo filly that’s a half to Yum who won the Jim Moloney,” said Whishaw, referring to Lot 93, who is out of winning Snitzel mare Dream Food. Yum (Ghayyaith {Ire}) was offered by Armidale at the 2024 Tasmanian sale on behalf of her breeders, who retained her after she did not meet her reserve and sent her to John McArdle. She was a winner at Seymour in the spring before her Listed Jim Moloney Stakes victory.

“She (Lot 93) is a beautiful filly and I think she will really stand out.”

Whishaw also highlighted Lot 50 in the draft, saying, “we also have a lovely filly by Capitalist out of Speedonova, she has a great head on her for a Capitalist and she’s strong and forward, with enough scope to get out over a bit of a trip as well.”

Speedonova (Tough Speed) was a seven-time winner on the track and ran second in the G3 Bow Mistress Stakes. Whishaw hopes both fillies appeal to the syndicators who frequent the sale, which has been a fertile hunting ground for the likes of Star Thoroughbreds and Prime Thoroughbreds.

“Denise (Martin, Star Thoroughbreds) and Joe (O’Neill, Prime Thoroughbreds) have been wonderful supporters of Tasmanian breeding and racing, and they both buy yearlings down in Tassie every year,” Whishaw said. “We're lucky that they've been great supporters of Armadale as well.

“Denise has had an outstanding season down here in particular, with Durazzo, Mazzini, Sanniya, the strike rate for Star Thoroughbreds has just been phenomenal. All three have come off of Armidale, so we are hopeful she will be back looking at our draft again.”

Sanniya (Stratosphere) and full brothers Mazzini (Needs Further) and Durazzo have all been stakes winners within the last 12 months, the latter stringing together three Listed wins in a row for Star Thoroughbreds.

“Joe has Zany Girl as well, who we sold, and she has done exceptionally well,” said Whishaw. “We feel fortunate to have both those syndicators coming down in Tassie and looking at our stock.”