It’s been a busy breeding season at Kia Ora Stud with the arrival of stunning first foals by Golden Slipper winner Farnan and Redoute’s Choice lookalike Prague sparking a slew of return bookings from excited breeders delighted with their offspring.
All Golden Slipper winners retiring to stud are given a golden opportunity for commercial success and Farnan was no exception covering a stellar selection of 192 mares last spring. His book featured Group I winners Jennifer Eccles, I Am Excited and Group I placed Carribean Sunset (IRE) as well as Group I producing dams Gypsy Robin (USA) and Victory Cry.
His book was filled with quality mares including siblings to many notable Group 1 winners such as proven sires: Extreme Choice, Stratum, Divine Prophet, Proisir, Darci Brahma, Burgundy, Contributer, Xtravagant, plus great racemares Melody Belle and Alinghi.
The Champion 2YO Colt of his generation, by champion sire Not a Single Doubt from a daughter of champion sire Street Cry (IRE), Farnan has the perfect pedigree to match his impressive physique and elite race performance.
Nobody knows more about what makes a great sire son of Not a Single Doubt than James Ferguson of Bell River Thoroughbreds, who bred and sold his champion son Extreme Choice.
“At Bell River, we believe that Not A Single Doubt will carry the Danehill sire-line through the Australasian Studbooks for years to come and Farnan is, without a doubt, the best of his sons to go to stud,” said James Ferguson.
“We sent Farnan seven mares for his debut season and, based off the strength of the resulting foals, we have even more confidence in our initial beliefs. We are sending another six mares for his second season, and the same numbers for his third.
“Farnan has it all.”
Kia Ora sourced a number of quality young mares to add to their broodmare band with Farnan in mind and one of those is $800,000 Magic Millions National Sale purchase Insta Erma (USA), an imported Group III winner, who was also Group I placed.
She produced this superb colt, who has all the strength and athleticism of his sire.
Mares in foal to Farnan sold well at the breeding stock sales earlier this year and one of those was young Zoustar mare Amuri, who was snapped up by Kia Ora / TFI Investments at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $450,000.
A winning half-sister to Group III winner Thurlow and stakes-winner Three Kings, Amuri produced this classy colt by Farnan.
“Farnan has all the qualities of a champion sire and his foals are everything we could have hoped for and more,” said Shane Wright of Kia Ora Stud.
There is no more successful sire of sires in Australia than Redoute’s Choice and Prague is set to continue his legacy.
Last spring he covered an oustanding book of mares including Group I performed mares such as Mani Bhavan (USA), Perfect Rhyme, Banc De Fortune and Sistine Angel.
Mike Fleming of Bhima Thoroughbreds sold Prague as a yearling so has a great insight into his prospects and has the highest regard for the multiple Group winning colt, who was also second beaten just half a length in the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes.
“I am very pleased with our Prague colt. He’s forward, strong, and very attractive, much like his sire who we sold for $1.6m as a yearling,” Mike Fleming reflected.
“We’re sending more mares to Prague this year - he’s obviously passing on that Redoute’s Choice class, and there’s plenty of depth in his pedigree. Prague is a young sire that has what it takes.”
Kia Ora have supported Prague with some top-class mares including War Heroine (USA), a US$450,000 purchase from the 2018 Fasig Tipton Breeding Stock Sale in Kentucky.
A Group II winning daughter of Lonhro, War Heroine delivered this stunning Prague colt in early September.
Proven producer Divya has already left three winners headed by stakes-winner Candika and is the dam of this lovely filly, who has a classic Redoute’s Choice head as does her sire.
Well-bred Sebring mare Shivani is a metro winning daughter of brilliantly fast Group II winning sprinter Villa Verde and has done a great job with her first foal producing this colt by Prague.
“Prague was a precocious, Group winning colt and is an outstanding physical specimen who looks more and more like his Champion Sire [Redoute’s Choice] daily - I believe he has what it takes to make a big impact in Australian breeding,” said Shane Wright.
"We continue to invest in the future of our stallions and have purchased additional high quality mares this year such as Lighthouse, Oceanex, Amuri (already had a Farnan colt pictured above), Revolutionary Girl and Keysbrook, the dam of Group I winning filly She's Extreme."
Farnan stands at a fee of $55,000 inc. GST this spring and Prague is priced at $16,500 inc GST and payment on live foal terms.
