Prost to stand on the Aquis Farm stallion roster
Aquis Farm have announced that Prost, a dual Group-winning son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), will join their seven-strong stallion roster in the 2025 breeding season and he will stand for an opening fee of $13,200 (all fees inc. GST).
The former Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt was a winner of the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at two, defeating subsequent Group 2 winner Traffic Warden (Street Boss) and setting a class record, becoming the fastest winner over 1100-metres in the race’s history.
At three, Prost went on to win the Callander Prestnell Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Randwick, adding his name to an honour roll which includes the likes of Lonhro (Octagonal) and General Nediym (Nediym).
A $650,000 Magic Millions Yearling by Arrowfield’s Champion, Prost is a three-quarter brother to Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Shinzo (Snitzel) and Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) winner Exhilarates (Snitzel), being out of a half-sister to dual Group 1-winning champion sprinter Samaready (More Than Ready).
Aquis Stallions director of sales, Jonathan Davies, is thrilled to have the rising four-year-old colt join the roster for 2025, and believes he is priced at great value for breeders.
“He won the Callander Prestnell, then went for a spell, he returned to work but had a setback whilst in pre-raining and then in discussion with the ownership group, they’ve been kind enough to entrust us to stand the stallion on their behalf,” Davies told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We’ve stood two sons of Snitzel previously in Spill The Beans and Invader, both of whom have been Group 1 producers at stud. Prost, in my humble opinion, is most definitely the superior type of the three of them.
“I think what separates him from other stallions in his price bracket around the country is his type. He’s a beautifully balanced horse, 15.3 hands, very much in the mould of his sire Snitzel.
“Prost brings a great profile, he’s the only son of Snitzel to win a Group race at two, then train on and win a Group race over a mile at three as well. I think he brings a really good set of credentials to stand at stud. I believe we’ve priced him exceptionally well for breeders and he will prove very popular at the fee of $12,000 plus GST.”
A value approach was a common denominator across Aquis’ 2025 fees in keeping with the current market.
“We set them with the current economic challenges at the front of mind,” said Davies, “as well as the other challenges being faced by breeders, breeding to stallions at that price bracket around Australia.”
The first son of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) to stand at stud in Queensland, Kobayashi will stand for a reduced fee of $13,200, down from $15,000 last year.
A juvenile stakes winner himself, Kobayashi boasts two Group-placed winners from his first crop in Midnight In Tokyo and Our Kobison, and secured his first stakes winner when his daughter Mishani Lily took out the Dalrello Stakes (Listed, 1000m) as a juvenile last May.
Currently operating at a 63.21 per cent winners to runners ratio, Davies believes his results can only get better.
“He’s a tremendous stallion,” Davies said. “He’s done a fantastic job starting off for a fee of $4,000 plus GST. To do the job he’s done with low numbers and the lesser quality of mare. In the last two seasons, he’s covered his biggest books and his best quality books. So the best is most definitely in front of him.”
Meanwhile, Jonker’s (Spirit Of Boom) first crop will turn two in August and he will stand the upcoming season for an unchanged fee of $12,500.
His highest priced yearling – a filly out of Cafe Rizu (Rubick) – sold for $300,000 at Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January.
“He averaged over $100,000 at the Magic Millions Sale in January, which was really good,” Davies said. “They were very well received. They’ve gone to the best stables around the country.
“The top priced lot was a really nice filly that Ridgmont sold, she was bought by Ciaron Maher in conjunction with Suman Hedge, and I believe she’s going really well. I spoke to Suman a couple of weeks ago and he’s very happy with her. So he’s a stallion that we’re very excited about.
“Obviously, he was a brilliant two year old himself, winning the Max Lees Classic, as well as the Wyong Magic Millions, before racing without any luck whatsoever in the Magic Millions itself. And then he just continued to improve as he got older and won his Group 1 [Manikato Stakes] as an older horse.”
Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar), Officiating (Blame) and Stronger (Not A Single Doubt) will each stand at reduced fees of $8,800.
A Group 2-winning juvenile who was Group 1-placed at three, Lean Mean Machine got off to the perfect start at stud when producing a city winner with his first runner in Freeman.
The son of Zoustar (Northern Meteor) has sired 44 winners, including Listed scorer Material Dreams. He comes down from his $13,200 price tag in 2024.
“He’s ticking along, he gets winners every week,” Davies said. “He’s had a few horses that have raced without luck in stakes races over the last few months. I think he’s got some nice progeny out there that are just knocking on the door to win a stakes race.”
Officiating – a triple Grade 3-winning son of Blame (Arch) – was new to the Aquis roster last year and has proved popular but comes down from his introductory fee of $12,500.
“He covered over 110 mares in his first season at stud, so he’s well received,” Davies said. “He’s got a tremendous bunch of breeders involved in him with shareholders who supported him really well. He’s let down incredibly well. I was actually just showing him to a group of breeders this morning and they couldn’t believe how well he has let down since they saw him last year.
“He’s a very eye-catching, masculine stallion, very much in the mould of an Australian speed horse. So very excited to see his first foals hit the ground this spring.”
A Group winner in Australia as a juvenile, Stronger went on to win the Centenary Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) in Hong Kong and Davies anticipates a lot of interest from that part of the world in the son of Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice).
“His first weanling sold at the Sydney Weanling Sale for $62,500, so at four and a half times his first season service fee, which was a great result and was purchased by a Hong Kong buyer, which really came with no surprise to us,” he said. “I think that there’s going to be a very strong market for Stronger colts to Hong Kong, given his reputation up there.”
Glenfiddich (Fastnet Rock) rounds out the septet and looks another offering great value, standing for $4,400, down from $5,500 in 2024.
‘He had some great results in the sales ring, highlighted by a really nice colt that was sold for $170,000 to Kelly Schweida, with Peter Moody, one of his former trainers as the underbidder,” Davies said.
“He was a half to Dublin Down and that colt is a lovely horse. A lot of people that bred to Glenfiddich were breeding to race, a lot of the same breeders that bred to Kobayashi in his first couple of seasons. He’s a lovely horse and we’ve been hearing some great reports about his yearlings already, so it’s very promising.”
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| Prost | $13,200 | New |
| Kobayashi | $13,200 | $15,000 |
| Lean Mean Machine | $8,800 | $13,200 |
| Jonker | Unchanged | $12,500 |
| Officiating | $8,800 | $12,500 |
| Stronger | $8,800 | $9,900 |
| Glenfiddich | $4,400 | $5,500 |