Aquis Chief Executive Shane McGrath was full of praise in announcing his new sprinting sensation Spieth retiring to Aquis Farm in the Hunter Valley.
“We are committing 30 of our very best mares to Spieth, highlighted by the dam of Stradbroke Handicap winner Santa Anna Lane,” said Shane McGrath. “He will be limited to a book of 175 mares in his first season.”
“There won’t be a better looking or better value First Season Sire in the Hunter Valley and he retires as one of the unluckiest sprinters in recent times.”
In a golden age of Australian sprinting stars Spieth won 5 races at 3 and 4 years including the Listed City Tattersalls Lightning Stakes over 1100m at Randwick, plus victories at Flemington and Rosehill also over 1100m.
Considered highly unlucky not to defeat Malaguerra in the Group 1 Darley Classic at Flemington, with Fell Swoop in third, Spieth was again beaten by the narrowest of margins in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes, 1000m, won by Terravista with Star Turn third.
Spieth was also second to Redzel in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes, 1000m, at Randwick, with an additional second over 1200m at Sandown.
Aquis says ‘Spieth is a coup for savvy breeders who understand the value of raw speed and have reaped the rewards when backing stallions whose profiles are very similar to Spieth.’
‘Speith provides breeders an outcross that supports commercial breeding goals and continues the Australian market demand for tough, proven speed genes.’
Sired by Champion NZ Sire and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Thorn Park, Spieth is from the family of Champion Australian sires Encosta de Lago and Flying Spur, and the leading European first season sire Charm Spirit. A chestnut standing 16.1hh, he was a $200,000 buy from Trelawney Stud at the 2014 NZ Premier Yearling Sale.
By Champion Sire Spinning World, Thorn Park has now sired the winners of over $40m including 29 Stakes winners, 11 individual Group 1 winners and is the sire of 71.5% winners to runners and nearly 7% Stakes winners to runners. Sire sons Jimmy Choux and Ocean Park were both crowned NZ Horse of The Year, with Norzita being Champion 3YO Filly in Australia.
Spieth is the third winning foal of the British mare Stella Livia, by French Champion Older Male Sprinter in Titus Livius. Stella Livia is a winner at 1150m and 1400m in New Zealand.
Sombreffe, Spieth’s winning granddam by Polish Precedent, is the dam of 10 winners from 12 to race including Group 1 winner Ransom O’War, a German Horse of The Year and Champion 3YO in Germany. She is three-quarter sister to the Group winning sires Russian Bond and Snaadee and is a half-sister to the Stakes winners Cristofori and Crossover.
Invader, the Australian Co-Champion 2YO Colt of 2016-17, also commences his stud career at Aquis Hunter Valley this spring, at what was the former Emirates Park Stud in Murrurundi.
In winning the Group 1 Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m at Randwick, Invader defeated a quality field of 2YOs with the NZ Group 1 winner Summer Passage in second and the subsequent Group 1 TJ Smith, All Aged Stakes, and Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist in third.
Invader went on to finish second to The Mission in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes over 1600m at his next start, having previously run second in the Group 2 Todman Stakes, also at Randwick.
Sired by the all-conquering sires-of-sires Snitzel, Invader was a $475,000 yearling purchase by China Horse Club from Arrowfield Stud at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
An impressive chestnut standing 15.3hh, Invader is from the dual Group 2-placed Stakes winner Flame of Sydney, by Encosta de Lago, and is a half-brother to the Group 2 HK Jockey Club Sprint winner Not Listenintome.
Choisir’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Profit is in his second season at Aquis Hunter Valley, standing alongside Dream Ahead, a 5-time Group 1 winner and former Champion European Sprinter. The ever-consistent proven Group 1 sire Al Maher rounds off Aquis’ 2018 Hunter Valley Roster.