Thursday, 8 November 2018: Aquis Farm has secured top class Japanese import Brave Smash to join its ever-growing stallion roster.

Brave Smash

Aquis Farm has joined forces with successful Queensland breeding operation Glenlogan Park in the ownership of Brave Smash.
McGrath said he was delighted to have secured Brave Smash  in a week of significant success and developments for the Asian-owned organisation.
Last Saturday Aquis Farm and owner Tony Fung celebrated a G1 double at Flemington with the victories of Extra Brut in the Victoria Derby and Sunlight in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Extra Brut gave Aquis stallion Domesday his fifth Group One winner while Fung’s wife Loretta has a share in the ownership of Sunlight.
“Brave Smash is a genuine top class racehorse. He’s beaten the best sprinters in the land in his Group 1 wins, and only went down a small margin when second in the Newmarket Handicap,” said McGrath.
“He is such a tough, consistent horse, he’s won in Japan as a 2YO and has consistently raced against and beaten some of the best horses going around in Australia. We are delighted to have him.”
The last start winner of the G1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley will attempt to add a third Australian G1 win to his record in Saturday’s VRC Sprint (1200m) at Flemington.
The Darren Weir-trained 5Y0 by Tosen Phanton also won the G1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last season.
He also ran second in the G1 Newmarket (1200m) at Flemington where he beat home subsequent Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes winner Merchant Navy.
Brave Smash’s credibility as a top class Australian sprinter was also boosted by a game third in the inaugural running of the world’s richest turf race The Everest (1200m) at Randwick behind Redzel last year.
The announcement came a day after Aquis decided not to pursue the multiple G1 winner Trapeze Artist as a stallion prospect.
"Trapeze Artist  represented Aquis in The Everest and ran a terrific race to finish second to Redzel, however we have decided not to pursue him going forward as a stallion prospect,” said Aquis CEO Shane McGrath.
"He is obviously a very talented son of champion sire Snitzel with a great Group 1 record, but given the promising stallions already on our roster including several sons of Snitzel and the young stakes horses we have in training we believe Trapeze Artist is not the right horse for us at this time."
Glenlogan Park principal Jon Haseler said he was delighted to join with Aquis as a partner in Brave Smash.
“We found the decision to buy into Brave Smash in partnership with Aquis a very easy one,” Haseler said.
“Physically, Brave Smash is built in the same mould as some of the most successful sires in the country right now and his bloodlines dictate that when he retires to the breeding barn he will be the perfect outcross for the huge number of Danehill line mares available.
“We look forward to sharing in his future racing and to partnering Aquis in ensuring he is given the very best opportunities when he retires to stud,” he said.
Tony Fung has been a long term investor in Australia and is determined to ensures a share of his successes is filtered to the community via sponsorship and donation.
Earlier this year Aquis Farm invested in the future for students in the Murrurundi region of the Hunter Valley by sponsoring the Pre-Kinder Program at Murrurundi Public School.
The program provides a qualified teacher one day a week to work one-on-one with the pre-kinder students.
Aquis Farm’s inception was in Queensland with the stud base at Kanungra near the Gold Coast.
During the recent Queensland racing industry dispute Fung, through Aquis Farm, designed an initiative to assist the Queensland industry participants through their decision to strike in protest at the government’s implementation of the Point of Consumption tax.
In conjunction with Racing NSW, Aquis Farm committed a minimum payment of $1000 to all Queensland trained starters that finish outside the top 10 at the Canterbury night meeting on October 19 and Randwick on October 20.