Shane McGrath: Pierata Leads The Everest Pack
Whilst the owners of Aquis, the Fung family, have only been involved in the industry for a short while, they have been operating Aquis’ other business portfolios in Australia for 30-odd years. Shane McGrath’s responsibilities include taking the Aquis brand to the next stratosphere.
Shane McGrath, CEO of Aquis Farm, talks to Everest Diaries about their choice of runner, their The Everest slot and Aquis’ future plan.
Q) Pierata will be the first son of Pierro to be confirmed to stand at stud. Could you please tell us about Pierata and how you came to identify him as a great stallion prospect and purchase him?
A: Pierata has been a horse on Aquis’ radar for some time now. As Pierro’s best sprinting-son, Pierata is the most successful racehorse to date by his exciting young sire, having won not only the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes in a fast time of 1:20.64, but he’s also captured a further five black type races, with over $3.6m in prizemoney earned.
Q) Although Sunlight is also an Aquis owned horse, Pierata was selected to race in Aquis’ slot for The Everest. That’s quite the compliment for both trainer and the horse himself. What made him perfect for The Everest?
A: The decision to race Pierata in the Aquis slot for this year’s The Everest was made after it was evident that the Gr.1 winner had continued to improve throughout his campaigns, making it clear that the best was still to come.
That judgement has since been vindicated with Pierata recording outstanding sectionals on his campaign return in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes before stepping up to the 1100m of the Gr.2 The Shorts and defeating a field of Everest contenders, once again recording outstanding fast closing sectionals (33.31 for last 600m) when charging from off the pace.Achieving a career best Timeform Rating of 126 in his last start win, Pierata has continued to thrive and improve throughout each and every campaign, with both his trainer and jockey feeling that he’s back this campaign bigger and better than ever.
Q) Could you tell us why Pierata is best placed to win The Everest this year?
A:Successful by almost three lengths in the 2018 Gr.3 Sydney Stakes in what is considered The Everest consolation final, Pierata won that race in a significantly better time than Redzel achieved when winning The Everest.Having since defeated the top three from the 2018 The Everest as well as a host of Gr.1 winners we feel Pierata has continued to improve and his stunning victory in the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes at Royal Randwick also highlights his true, elite level ability.
Q) Pierata’s performance in The Shorts has proven his prowess. What are your plans for him?
A: Prior to retiring to Aquis Farm in 2020, the focus for Pierata will be on this year’s The Everest, with an international campaign also under significant consideration.
Q) The role of an The Everest slot holder, increased Aquis’ brand value and brand recognition globally. Would you agree with the statement and if yes, why?
A: As an already established brand, Aquis wanted to increase our commitment within the industry.By using this opportunity, we were able to further create brand awareness and to reinforce that the investment of the Fung family is long term.As an outstanding platform to highlight world class sprinters, The Everest continues to feature the industry to the world, bringing racing to the forefront, a facet that is so important to the longevity of the industry.
Q) Would Aquis consider getting involved in The Everest again as a slot holder?
As an initial slot holder, Aquis plans to continue our commitment with The Everest as we see it as an outstanding concept.Having finished second in 2018 The Everest with Trapeze Artist, the hunger is there to go one better this time and we feel we have the best candidate.
Q) The Everest prize purse is significantly higher than any other sprint or turf race anywhere else in the world. Do you expect to see the prize money continue to grow higher up? Or will it touch a glass ceiling?
A) Racing NSW’s Chief Executive Peter V'landys has continued to do wonderful things for racing in NSW, injecting millions not only into prizemoney but into various other initiatives. The Everest has quickly established itself as one of the standalone races on the global race calendar, independent of its purse value.
Q) Aquis has been active in both high-profile international purchases and racing at the top level with a high degree of success. Are there plans to expand racing operations?
A) Mr Fung’s commitment to Aquis’ growth is evident in every facet of the business, but none more so than within the racing division of the organisation. Through the acquisition of outstanding stallion proposition, including Aquis’ Spill The Beans, who will be represented in his first racing crop by 30 Aquis-owned juveniles, Mr Fung’s never-ending passion for growth is clear.
Q) The decade is almost over. What are your plans for Aquis by 2030?
A: Firmly established within the global racing and breeding industry, we are extremely proud of our achievements and progress to date. With 14 stallions on the roster in addition to the most exciting stallion prospect in the country, Aquis’ continual commitment to growth within the market was highlighted earlier this year with the set-up of our Victorian farm at Seymour, adding another significant layer to servicing our clients.While 2030 is over ten years away, the industry moves quickly and we need to continue to adapt to changes, ensuring that Aquis remains a market leader in the stallions we stand and in the racehorse that carry our silks on race day
Published In Everest Diaries Platinum Souvenir 2019
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