'A pleasure to work with' - Aquis rue death of promising young sire Spieth

Queensland operation Aquis Farm has been dealt a blow to their stallion roster with the sudden death of their promising young sire Spieth.

Aquis announced the news, with the stallion, a sire of two stakes placegetters among an encouraging first crop of two-year-olds, having to be euthanised after being found injured in his box first thing in the morning.

It is a second stallion fatality for a young sire at Aquis Farm in the space of less than three years. Burgeoning sire Spill The Beans died just days after being provided with his first winner in November 2019.

“It’s a massive blow to the farm, to the staff and for all his shareholders and supporters. Especially the day after he sired his second stakes horse, with Birdies Galore finishing second in the Listed Oaklands Plate at Morphettville on Saturday,” said Aquis’ director of sales Jonathan Davies.

“He was euthanised on humane grounds having suffered an injury in his box overnight. We don’t actually know how the injury happened. Anything we say at the moment would only be speculation, but the vet attended to him first thing in the morning and the recommendation was that he be euthanised, and that’s all there really is to it at the moment.”

Aquis acquired Spieth while still in training in 2017, the colt having twice finished an agonising second in Group 1 contests when trained by Warwick Farm handler Bryce Heys, who purchased him as a yearling for A$200,000 from breeders Trelawney Stud at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale.

He was then transferred to Lindsay Park, under the care of David and Ben Hayes, and Tom Dabernig, but could not add to his win tally in two starts.

The son of Thorn Park, he retired ahead of the 2018 breeding season, with a racing record of five wins from 18 starts and a Listed success in the City Tattersalls Lightning at Randwick in October 2016.

That victory preceded his first runner-up effort at Group 1 level, when going down a narrow head in the Darley Classic at Flemington, before he again returned to the Melbourne track in the autumn, finishing a head second to Terravista in the Lightning Stakes.

Spieth covered a book of 149 mares in his first season at Aquis at a fee of A$16,500 (inc GST). His numbers dipped to 39 in 2020, but, standing for a fee of A$8,800 (inc GST) last year and off the back of his first foals, he attracted a book of 129 mares.

He has six first-crop winners to date from 25 runners, headlined by Tasmanian-trained filly Jaguar Stone, a winner of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at Launceston who finished third in the Gold Sovereign Stakes at the track the start prior. He also has the Prime Thoroughbreds-owned Birdies Galore, a winner of her first two starts and runner-up in Saturday’s Oaklands Plate in Adelaide.

In the sales ring, his first yearlings sold to a high of A$180,000 while a filly out of Listed winner My Lady’s Chamber sold to Ciaron Maher for A$325,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“Being a son of Thorn Park, and the racehorse he was himself, we just expect them to get better with maturity and age,” Davies said. “Hopefully the best is well and truly in front of him for everyone that has supported him.

“He had some standout yearlings at the sales this year. There was a beautiful filly at Magic Millions. She was a glorious filly and he’s been leaving some great types.

“The horse himself was the most gentle stallion you’d ever come across. He was just a pleasure to work with and was much loved by the whole farm, especially the stallion team. He was an absolute gem of a stallion.”

“Let’s hope he leaves a legacy of Group 1 winners and he can finally get that Group 1 next to his name.”

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