Sound bites serve a useful function, especially if they’re on the mark. Des van Rooyen will forever be Weekend Special, Greg Norman owns Great White Shark, and The Governator could only be Arnie – although he also became The Sperminator when it was revealed that he had impregnated the housekeeper, writes Oscar Foulkes.
Mike Azzie – coined a tag
Mike Azzie, never short of a word, came up with Querari Ferrari when Spring Wonder won on debut. Ferrari certainly rhymes with Querari, but is he delivering the horsepower?
I happened to be at Kenilworth when Champery (by Querari) won her second start in April 2015. Perhaps I paid extra attention because of the filly’s connection with my old schoolmate, Archar Head, but she looked well above average in the way she streaked clear of My Emblem and Victoria Lavelle. I started following Querari.
Champery followed up with a listed placings at two and three. However, she was beaten less than two lengths in the Cape Flying Championship. Finishing within 6 lbs of top horses at weight-for-age makes her good enough to end up with a stakes win at some point in her life, but soundness issues may prevent that.
Querari ended last season with a Gr2 winner, in the form of Cosmic Light. He also had three stakes-placed two-year-olds (one of them a Grade I second), as well as a stakes fourth. This isn’t enough to predict future Champion Sire status, but it was certainly more than promising.
Cosmic Light wins Gr2 The Debutante
That first crop, of 28 foals, has now produced 20 winners. Strictly speaking, working out percentages on a small sample sizes isn’t entirely correct, but I’m going to do it anyway – that’s over 71% winners from foals. He has two stakes-winners (over 7% of foals), and a total of six stakes horses. Amongst his non-black type horses is Kangaroo Jack, who won under 64.5kg last time out, and could end up picking up a stakes place (or win) somewhere along the line.
To borrow from the Bayesian approach to probability, Querari is comfortably outperforming base rates for the Thoroughbred (of 49% winners and 3% stakes-winners from foals). In fact, his first crop is outperforming at a level one normally associates with stallions that have been Champion Sire many times over.
Querari (Oasis Dream – Quetena)
Querari’s second crop is doing pretty much the same at two as what the first crop did.
With two months of the racing season left, he has six two-year-old winners from 32 foals, including two stakes placed fillies, in the form of Touching and Fresh.
There is no easily available objective measurement for the following observation, but Querari is doing it with mares that are largely second – and third tier. In other words, he appears to be breeding up on his mares. The quality of mares he is covering now is likely to be a step up on his first few seasons.
One apparent factor of Querari’s stud record thus far is that he appears to be more an influence for speed than for stamina. Given his racing ability over 2000m, it is a little surprising.
His sole stakes performer beyond 1600m, Solana, won the East Cape Oaks over 2000m. It looked as if she didn’t quite see out the 2400m East Cape Derby.
Solana – only stakes success beyond a mile
In fairness, she is out of a Jallad mare that is out of a Cordoba mare. Neither stallion could be accused of being an influence for extreme stamina.
While Querari’s dam is by Acatenango, a solid 2400m horse, both his sire, Oasis Dream, and grandsire, Green Desert, were Grade I winning sprinters. He could do far worse than channel these stallions!
Querari during his racing career
As far as distance suitability is concerned, we’ll have to wait and see. However, as long as they are winning races, who cares about the distance of the races.
Querari’s service fee has been increased this year to R30 000. While double the 2015 level, it’s on a par – or below – stallions that have never even produced a runner.
That makes him look like excellent value for money. His yearling sale results this year have largely been mid-range, which suggests that the market hasn’t yet fully priced the percentages being delivered by his first crop. He doesn’t just offer value in the breeding shed, but in the sales ring as well.
While auction and service fee pricing don’t yet support the reference to Ferrari, Querari is already in the high performance category.
