Circus Maximus Yearling

About Circus Maximus Yearling

Fortuna Racing acquires a genuine Derby/Cups Type by the emerging Sire of Stayers, Circus Maximus

Background

Pre Sale Mark Walker, David Ellis and I had hatched a plan to buy a genuine Staying type at this year’s Karaka Sale, a type with the pedigree behind him or her, backed up by strong physical attributes. The Te Akau selection team had picked out Lot 283, the Gelding by Circus Maximus out of the Fastnet Rock Mare, Asama Blue and we had set a budget of $100k to buy him. As always, we don’t bid on a horse until it is “on the market” and, noting that he was passed in @ $70k, we followed up with the Vendor, the Sir Peter Vela owned Pencarrow Stud and we successfully negotiated a sale at just $60k, well within our budget

Physical Type

A strong, well developed yearling with a lovely free flowing walk, this Gelding (who has been given the stable name “Max”) is not going to be an early 2yo, but has the scope and the pedigree to develop into a powerful 3yo, with raceday targets such as the NZ 2000 Guineas in the Spring of his 3yo year and the NZ Derby for 3yo’s in the Autumn as logical targets and then as an older horse, the 3200m Cups races such as the NZ Cup, the Wellington Cup and the Auckland Cup, would be logical targets

Click HERE to see this lovely horse parading

Pedigree

Our new Gelding is by Circus Maximus, himself a son of the mighty Galileo. Circus Maximus was a champion miler and triple group one winner who after displaying group one form as a two-year-old trained on to beat the best of his generation as a three-year-old in the group one St James Palace stakes at Royal Ascot over a mile. He franked this form in the autumn of his three-year-old season against the older horses when winning the group one Prix-de Moulin at Longchamp also over a mile. At four Circus Maximus was successful again at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes over a mile joining the champion Frankel as a son of Galileo to have won both of these prestigious Royal Ascot races

Click HERE to see his pedigree

Circus Maximus is a shuttle Stallion who stands at Windsor Park in the Southern Hemisphere breeding season – he joins a long line of successful shuttle Stallions to have stood at Windsor Park, including Tale Of The Cat, Montjeu, High Chaparral, Mastercraftsman and Rip Van Winkle The dam of “Max” is the Fastnet Rock Mare, Asama Blue – bred in the UK, she was a winner there before coming to NZ, where she won again and was good enough to run 2nd in the Group 3 Anniversary Handicap at Trentham – the 2nd Damsire is the mighty Sadlers Wells and notable that Sadlers Wells is also the 2nd Damsire of Circus Maximus This is a very strong International Pedigree page –

The oldest progeny of Circus Maximus are now 3yo’s and currently he sits in 2nd place on the 2nd season Sire table with 6 individual winners (9 wins) and has already sired the winner of the NZ Derby (7th August 2026) from his very first NZ crop

Selector David Ellis comments

“Congratulations John in securing this lovely horse at a great value price – I really loved this horse at inspections and my notes say “definite Derby, Cups type” – he has a wonderful pedigree page being by an emerging Sire, who was a high class racehorse and a son of the Champion Stallion, Galileo – and his damsire is Fastnet Rock, another champion and the 2nd damsire is Sadlers Wells, you cannot get better blood than that”

The  Gelding by CIRCUS MAXIMUS out of ASAMA BLUE

Trainer Mark Walker comments

“John, as you know, pre sale you and I identified Circus Maximus as a Stallion that we wanted to target at this Sale as he is a Stallion that we have taken a lot of notice of late, not only with winners on the track but also good trial performers as well and we think he has the potential to be the next Zabeel here in NZ. We have one of his sons, Towering Vision in the Stable – already a Stakes winner, he is one of the faves for the NZ Derby in a few weeks time. Just incredible that you were able to secure this horse for just $60k – we admired him at inspections with his lovely walking action and his physical type – he has all of the attributes to develop into a powerful staying type and Sam and I are really looking forward to getting him under way in the Stable”

Racing Plans

“Max” has  been broken in and has completed an intitial preparation at the Matamta Stables and is now on paddock break ahead a 2nd, more comprehensive preparation which may well lead to a trial in the Spring, that dependent on Trainer assessment of his his physical maturity and development. He impressed his Training Team and his trackwork riders during his initial preparation with typical rider comment being “lovely natutured horse with a very smooth galloping action”

He  registered for the Karaka Millions Series – the 2yo race in January of 2027 may come up a bit early for him but the 3yo Karaka Classic over 1600m in January 2028 for $1.5m would be a genuine target – sold through a NZ Sale, he is also eligible for the NZB Kiwi for $4m in March of 2028

View and/or Download the Disclosure Statement and the Syndicate Agreement for the CIRCUS MAXIMUS Gelding

Read the Declaration.

Terms

• • Shares available right down to 1%.

  • 10% share $13,000, 5% share $6,500, 2.5% share $3,250, 1% share $1,300 – with ongoing costs from 1 August 2026 @$50 per month per each 1% share

  • Initial Capital includes Purchase Price, GST, Promoters fees, Karaka Million Fee, Insurance to 31 Jan 2027 and working capital of just over $10k

  • Monthly ongoing costs from 1st August 2026 – from that date ongoing costs are – 10% share $500 per month – 5% share $250 per month – 2.5% share $125 per month – 1% share $50 per month.

  • Monthly ongoing costs can alternatively be paid up to 12 months in advance as an option for subscribers by Bank  Payment or Credit Card

• Terms available over 3 months – 1/3rd deposit, 1/3rd after 30 days, final 1/3rd after 60 days – just ask us how you obtain these terms

Purchase a share in CIRCUS MAXIMUS today from the ‘Add To Cart’ button above (no paperwork to sign – just attest to the Declaration) or contact us for more information.

Applications can only be made after Investors have perused and executed the NZ Thoroughbred Racing approved Disclosure Statement. This can be seen at the link above or obtained from the Syndicate Promoter, Fortuna Ltd (Director John Galvin) HERE

Fortuna Ltd is an Authorised Syndicator in accordance with the Code of Practice administered by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (Inc) established under The Financial Markets Conduct (Equine Bloodstock) Exemption Notice 2016. Details of this Offer are contained in the Disclosure Statement relating to the Offer