The Trapeze Act for The Everest
Everest Diaries speaks to the frank yet soft-spoken CEO of Aquis racing and breeding operation about their ambitions and their plans to become market leaders in the Southern Hemisphere.
Whilst the owners of Aquis, the Fung family, have only been involved in the industry for a short while, they have been operating Aquis’ other business portfolios in Australia for 30-odd years.
McGrath joined Aquis to take the operation into the next stratosphere.
Q: You were the first slot holder to confirm your horse. Trapeze Artist is, of course, a people’s favourite. What were the deciding factors when choosing Trapeze Artist? Would these factors remain constant in the coming years? Do you hope to eventually race one of the horses bred by Aquis in the future?
A: We definitely hope to racehorses bred at Aquis. That goal is a few years away for the moment. We chose Trapeze Artist based on his ratings and his record-breaking performance in the TJ Smith and the All Aged Stakes. The key reason for our selection of Trapeze Artist was that we found him capable of winning the race and that reason will remain constant for as long as we own The Everest slot.
Q: What was the rationale behind taking a slot in The Everest? For Aquis, is The Everest about trying to uncover a new or hot stallion, or simply to win the race and prize money?
A: Aquis is still a young brand and we wanted to use this opportunity to firmly situate ourselves in the minds of the racing public and the industry, locally as well as internationally. Of course, this is also a great platform to uncover a new top-rated sprint stallion.
Q: The Everest has become a phenomenon. After every big race, journalists are asking the question of whether the winner’s next race will be The Everest. Did you always expect it to become so big? Do you expect it to overtake some of Australia’s traditional races such as Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate in its popularity?
A: Melbourne, Caufield and Cox Plate Cups are very exciting and international distance races. They have their own identities firmly embedded in the minds of the racing public. The Everest is different. It is about speed. Australia breeds sprinters so we were sure about the success potential of this event.
Q: The Everest is a sprint race and Australian thoroughbred bloodlines are more partial towards sprinters. As a breeder, do you feel that this is the best race to showcase ‘Australian Thoroughbred produce at its best’?
A: Of course. Australian thoroughbreds are internationally known for their speed. In fact, we hope that the winner of this race will be known as the fastest sprinter in the world. It will also attract top international talent to prove themselves against Australia’s best.
Q: With US Navy Flag, Vega Magic and many others now being confirmed, is there any contender who could be a cause for concern in relation to Trapeze Artist?
A: We really have no concerns about Trapeze Artist winning this race. The Randwick Racecourse is uphill at 400m. It is also a hotter climate. So, US Navy Flag will not find it easy to beat Australian sprinters on a track/surface which they are well-versed with but is relatively new for him.
Q: Aquis is a two-stage operation for over a year now – with farms in Canungra QLD and Murrurundi NSW – how is it all moving along? Are there plans to expand the operation in the future? Has there any consideration of opening one on Mainland China, especially with their racing industry now picking up?
A: Although we are a relatively new operation we are building a very strong team of individuals respected throughout the industry, to ensure we and our clients have every chance of success going forward. We have not planned any international expansions.
However, as we have a firm foothold in China due to the ownership, we do hope Asia becomes a major market as China as opens up.
According to our current strategy, we race horses overseas, we shuttle stallions and we breed mares to our stallions and others in the Northern Hemisphere where again we are building partnerships.
(Aquis has partnered with Stonestreet Stables in the USA and is racing independently in the UK)
Q: Aquis has also landed one of the biggest stallions to retire to Stud in 2018, being Invader, how does he fit into Aquis’ stallion roster? Are there any pairings you were especially proud to secure, that you could talk about?
We are thrilled to have top stallions such as Invader, Spieth and Divine Prophet. The invader who was the champion 2-year-old colt of his generation and also the best 2-year-old by Snitzel to date allows us to offer a stallion with the rare combination of speed, performance and pedigree to the breeders in partnership with Phoenix Thoroughbreds.
We have also signed on board Gr.1 Champagne Stakes-winning Champion, The Mission. We have also offered a bonus scheme to promote the Mission. It is a multi-million dollar scheme with bonuses ranging from $25,000 right up to $1 million being awarded to the breeder of any progeny of The Mission, (2018 conceived crop) should they win a 2YO race.
Q: And finally, could you please tell us more about your background and how you got involved with Aquis?
A: I was earlier General Manager of Victoria’s Eliza Park for 15 years and prior to joining Aquis Farm was Bloodstock Sales Manager for Coolmore Australia. Aquis offered a great opportunity to lead a young but vast breeding and racing operation which I couldn’t refuse.
Published in EverestDiaries Issue 5, Vol 2
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Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com