Written by Oz Wedmore
Aquis Farm announced on Monday that their current first-season sire Santos will relocate across the Tasman ahead of the 2023 breeding season to join Highview Stud in the Waikato region - becoming the first son of I Am Invincible to stand in New Zealand.
Santos’ first crop of runners has been headlined by the speedy Kiwi filly Ulanova (NZ), trained by Stephen Marsh.
Santos | Standing at Highview Stud
Running in the colours of Gandharvi Racing, Ulanova was an exciting first winner for Santos on her pre-Christmas debut and followed that up with two fourth-placed finishes in stakes company.
With those performances coming in the G2 Eclipse S. and R. Listed Karaka Million 2YO, Ulanova then won the G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic and was latterly runner-up in the G1 Sistema S. Pending the outcome of the investigation into the positive swab of Tokyo Tycoon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}), she may yet become Santos’ first Group 1 winner.
“Santos has kicked off his career in fantastic fashion and has a potential Group 1 winner on his hands in the brilliantly fast Ulanova,” said Aquis Stallions Director of Sales, Jonathan Davies. “There is immeasurable upside with a stallion of his looks and credentials.
“Santos has kicked off his career in fantastic fashion and has a potential Group 1 winner on his hands in the brilliantly fast Ulanova. There is immeasurable upside with a stallion of his looks and credentials.” - Jonathan Davies
“We are incredibly excited for the future of Santos and know he is perfectly placed in the New Zealand market at Highview Stud. The Gillovic family flew to Queensland recently to inspect Santos and, as anticipated, they were blown away by his good looks, strength and athleticism.
“They are as passionate about Santos and his future success as we are,” Davies added.
Unique proposition for Highview
A son of I Am Invincible, Santos was an early juvenile himself, running third in the G3 Breeders’ Plate on debut. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, he put together a pair of post-Christmas victories - the Pierro Plate followed by the G2 Sunline S., his most significant win.
Santos when racing | Standing at Highview Stud, image courtesy of Sportpix
Santos’ precocity and speed are the two qualities which excited his new studmaster Brent Gillovic of Highview Stud. He told TDN AusNZ that Santos will be perfectly suited to the Kiwi market and be priced at an accessible level.
“He’s just a really good-looking, masculine horse,” Gillovic said. “Physically, he should be perfect. He’ll sharpen up a lot of New Zealand mares on type, and put a lot of speed into them.
“There’s a big tried-horse market in New Zealand, not everybody takes their horses to the sales, and he’ll be priced at a service fee that will be great value for New Zealand breeders.”
“He’s (Santos) just a really good-looking, masculine horse. Physically, he should be perfect. He’ll sharpen up a lot of New Zealand mares on type, and put a lot of speed into them.” - Brent Gillovic
Inspired to approach Aquis after the success of Ulanova, Gillovic said his prior dealings with the Queensland-based farm left him in no doubt that they’d be great to partner with, as they maintain involvement in the stallion.
Combined with being a unique proposition as the first son of I Am Invincible to stand in New Zealand, and the possibility of Ulanova being deemed a Group 1 winner in the near future, and Gillovic said that everything points in the right direction for his latest acquisition.
“He’ll probably get more of a chance here,” said Gillovic. “It’s all very well in Australia, all these horses going to stud, they probably get a bulk of horses in year one or two and struggle thereafter because there’s so many of them (stallions).
Brent Gillovic | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“In New Zealand, we’re probably guilty of lack of investment in new stallions for whatever reason. I have no aversion to picking up a horse where the hard yards have been done, if you like.”
Although Ulanova remains his only winner to date, she is one of just 11 of his first-crop progeny to race so far. He covered 137 mares in 2019, his first season, but that number more than halved in his second to 59. The numbers dropped to 32 in 2021 and 25 last year.
However, at the yearling sales Santos has performed well. His yearling average rose slightly this year to $34,750, well over double his $13,200 (inc GST) second-year service fee.
Ulanova (NZ) (red cap) winning on debut | Image courtesy of Trish Dunelll
Santos will join two existing Highview residents - Wrote (Ire), a son of High Chaparral (Ire) who’s sired two stakes winners since relocating from the US, and The Chosen One (NZ), the Group 1-winning son of Savabeel who began stud duties last year.
