Slipper winner Farnan’s service fee sets bar for first season sires
Champion two-year-old to stand for $55,000 as Kia Ora Stud makes stallion statement
Renowned Hunter Valley farm Kia Ora Stud, one of the region’s foundation stallion operations with a long history of standing champion sires, has announced the service fee for first season Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m)–winning colt Farnan (Not A Single Doubt).
After months of anticipation, Kia Ora yesterday confirmed that champion juvenile Farnan would stand for $55,000 (inc. GST) in 2021 as the historic stud reintroduces stallions to its breeding operation for the first time in decades.
Kia Ora bloodstock and breeding manager Shane Wright is looking forward to the season ahead, with a banner horse such as Farnan ensuring the stud has the attention of most commercial breeders.
“It is a big commitment to take on stallions, but we couldn’t be more excited about it and we feel we have entered at the right time,” Wright told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“The market is in a very good place and we feel like we’ve got the right horse to stand with. Slipper winners are never cheap but you get what you put in and we think he is the perfect specimen to start with.
“He’s by Not A Single Doubt out of a Street Cry mare who was a champion two-year-old and Timeform rated him one of the best Slipper winners there has ever been.
“That is a very serious place to start with and that’s what we want. We want a quality product that everyone can get behind and that is what we have with Farnan.”
Farnan’s service fee compares to 2016 Golden Slipper champion Capitalist (Written Tycoon), who stood for the same introductory fee, while 2015 winner Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) also stood for $55,000 when he went to stud in 2016.
Pierro (Lonhro), who retired to stud in 2013 after taking out the 2012 Slipper, had his fee set at $77,000 for his first three years on the Coolmore roster. Darley’s Sepoy (Elusive Quality), who won the race in 2011, went to stud at a fee of $66,000 and the late Sebring (More Than Ready), who won the Slipper 2008, was introduced at a fee of $49,500 in 2009, at a time when the economy was dealing with the fallout of the global financial crisis.
Wright maintains Farnan’s service fee is one “we are very comfortable with” and reinforced Kia Ora’s plans to send a number of quality mares to the stallion this year, as will partners Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds.
“He is going to be a very, very popular horse. The breeders are lining up and I think a good aspect to look at is that they aren’t lining up with one mare each, a lot of them are booking multiple mares into him, three and four at a time,” he said.
“The best breeders in Australia really want to get behind this horse. Not A Single Doubt being the grandsire of this year’s Golden Slipper winner (Stay Inside) just shows it is a line everyone is really wanting to use.”
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Farnan, a $550,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate from Vinery Stud, was retired last month as the winner of five of his eight starts having earned $2.5 million in prize-money.
After Farnan’s two-year-old season, Kia Ora bought into the colt, which secured standing rights, after a deal with Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, which raced the horse in partnership.
As well as taking out the Slipper, pre-Christmas juvenile winner Farnan also has the Silver Slipper (Gr 2, 1100m) and Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) on his impressive record. A brief three-year-old career of just two starts was hindered by a series of setbacks, leading to his retirement after two barrier trial victories in February and early March.
In order to house Farnan, a three-quarter brother to Listed winner Sandbar (Snitzel) and a son of Group 3-winning mare Tallow (Street Cry), Kia Ora is developing a new stallion barn opposite its main property on Allan Bridge Road on a landholding which was known as Broadwater Farm.
The property has been in Kia Ora’s ownership for some time but has previously been leased out.
“It’s the most beautiful farm and when we were planning to stand stallions we thought Broadwater would be the farm that the stallion complex should be on,” he said.
“That is in the process we are undertaking at minute and its development is going really well.”
Kia Ora also owns three-year-old colt Prague (Redoute’s Choice), a dual Group 3 winner at two who is pencilled in to eventually join Farnan on the stallion roster, but as yet no timeline has been placed on his retirement.
Prague, who is now trained at Warwick Farm by Annabel Neasham, is nominated for Saturday’s Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick.
“Prague was a magnificent two-year-old and he was very unlucky not to be a Group 1 winner. He was very consistent throughout his two-year-old campaign,” Wright said.
“He ran a very good race first-up in the Eskimo Prince and he was on the wrong part of the track that day. He also ran a huge race in the Newmarket when he finished fourth, so fingers crossed he’s got a Group 1 race in him because he deserves it.
“We are very happy with how he is going and he will be joining Farnan at Kia Ora as a stallion in the future.”
First season sire service fees announced so far (all fees inc. GST)
Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) $55,000 Kia Ora Stud
Pinatubo (Shamardal) $44,000 Darley Australia (NSW)
Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) $27,500 Darley Australia (VIC)
North Pacific (Brazen Beau) $22,000 Newgate Farm
Earthlight (Shamardal) $22,000 Darley Australia (VIC)
Hanseatic (Street Boss) $17,600 Rosemont Stud
Anders (Not A Single Doubt) $16,500 Widden Stud
Yulong Prince (Gimmethegreenlight) $9,900 Yulong