Young sire’s death hits Aquis
AQUIS Farm is mourning the loss of foundation stallion Spill The Beans, who died yesterday at the stud’s Canungra base.
Staff from the powerhouse breeding and racing operation found the promising young stallion dead at their property in Gold Coast Hinterland.
The death came on the same day Aquis announced it was extending its naming rights partnership with the Gold Coast Turf Club until the end of 2024.
Aquis managing director Shane McGrath said a postmortem examination would be held to determine the cause of death of a stallion they cherished.
“It’s always devastating to lose a stallion, but with Spill The Beans we felt we had something very special,” McGrath said.
“We heavily supported the horse with our own mares and also in the sales ring and with breeders.
“He is a horse we were extremely passionate about and had great credentials.
“All the reports from trainers with his progeny showed he was a young sire of immense promise.
“It’s a big blow for our young farm but cowboys don’t cry and we will soldier on.
“We will do our best to get around the team because he had a great temperament and everyone was close to him.
“He did everything right that you would want from a young stallion.”
Spill The Beans was off to a flying start with his progeny, celebrating a quinella at Townsville last Saturday with Tennessee Boy and Molongle Drifter. The two are part of a group of just four runners that have hit the track for the stallion so far.
The seven-year-old was trained by Gerald Ryan throughout his racing career, amassing $560,700 in prizemoney for his connections with five wins from 11 starts.
Gold Coast City Council’s new deal with Aquis is understood to be worth more than $1 million, in another big win for the club that celebrated the Council’s decision this week to extend its lease, due to run out in 2027, for a further 30 years and reduce it’s cost from $200,000 to $75,000 per year.