Churchill X Araucaria Gelding

Extremely Athletic, Great Attitude, by an Exciting Sire and a Rising Star Trainer

We were ecstatic to pick up this cracking colt from Goodwood Farm at Magic Millions by 4-time Group 1 winner, Churchill, a sire that has already produced multiple Group 1 winners in Europe and Australia. Our colt is extremely athletic and had an excellent temperament, the perfect recipe for a successful racehorse on the track. He will be trained by one of the rising stars of the training ranks in Australia, Nathan Doyle from his Newcastle base.

Churchill was an outstanding 2YO, winning 5 of his 6 starts, including 2 at Group 1 level. He only improved again into his 3YO year, winning the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket as well as the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at Curragh. At stud, he has done incredibly well in a short amount of time. In Europe alone he has sired 3-time Group 1 winner Blue Rose Cen and 2-time Group 1 winner Vadeni, who is now also standing at stud in France. Closer to home, even with his oldest progeny only being 4YO, he has already sired the Group 1 Toorak Handicap winner and Group 1 Australian Guineas runner-up, Attrition, as well as a multitude of Group level performers across Australia & New Zealand. Churchillian, Cigar Flick, Arugamama, First Immortal, Robusto, Jenny Jerome and Madame Odette are just some of the race winners that Churchill has sired in the Southern Hemisphere and all of these have performed strongly at Group or Listed level. Just to top it off for us, Churchill is closely related to our champion Keats, both being by Galileo and Churchill’s 2nd dam being Airwave, the dam of Keats himself.

Our colt is out of Hinchinbrook mare Araucaria, a winning half-sister to Listed winner Calchris. Highly respected bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster purchased the full-brother to our colt for Chris Waller Racing last year at Magic Millions for $95,000. It’s no surprise that Chris Waller is buying from the family with the success he had training Calculated (So You Think x Calchris) for Star Thoroughbreds who they paid $130,000 for. He was a winner at 2YO before running 3rd to Pierata in the Magic Millions Guineas as a 3YO. Another well respected judge John Foote purchased a filly by Churchill out of Calchris at the same sale as our colt for $110,000 with Roll The Dice Racing.

We utilised the services of very good judge David “Butch” Bourne to assist in our inspections this sale season. This colt was one of his top picks of the entire sale, commenting “there are two things you want in a racehorse, athleticism and attitude, and this colt has them both”. Butch was extremely excited by the way this colt handled himself at the sales, saying “he has the most positive attitude, never a backwards step, always going forward and willing to please.” Butch was confident he has the physical attributes to do something at 2YO but in his 3YO season is when you will really see him at the peak of his powers.’

We have identified Nathan Doyle at Newcastle, an up and coming star of the training ranks as the trainer for this colt. Despite having a small team, Nathan is sitting 11th on the overall New South Wales Trainer Premiership for this season. Apart from Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Nathan has the highest strike-rate in the Top 15 trainers on the premiership at 21.70%. Looking at provincial races only, he has the highest strike-rate at 26.90% and sits 4th on the Provincial Trainer Premiership, ahead of Ciaron Maher, John O’Shea, Joseph Pride, Kris Lees and James Cummings, despite having less runners than those trainers. We are convinced he will be at the top of the training game in time and we want to be a part of his success.

Not only is our colt BOBS Eligible, meaning he can win a bonus of up to $22,500 for each win on NSW tracks during his 2YO/3YO racing career, but being trained by Nathan Doyle, he is also eligible for the Midway races at metropolitan meetings in Sydney. These Midway races are worth $120,000 in prize-money (plus BOBS) and our trainer Nathan Doyle has a great record in them! Our colt is also paid up for the Magic Millions race series and he looks the perfect type to get to the 3YO Guineas in a couple of years.

Our colt has arrived at Doran Park in Hawkesbury in great order and is enjoying some downtime in the paddock since the hustle and bustle of the busy sales atmosphere on the Gold Coast. He will have a couple more weeks to relax and unwind before he starts his breaking-in process with Gordon Pratt and the team.