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David and Robyn Wishaw, proprietors of Tasmania’s Armidale Stud, have some serious thinking to do following the emergence of the Needs Further filly Mystic Journey as an outstanding Group One winner.

Mystic Journey (Needs Further x White Gold by Colombia) comes from the second crop of foals produced by Needs Further at Armidale Stud where his service fee is a mere $5500.

The Adam Trinder-trained Mystic Journey now ranks among the best three-year-olds in the land following her historic win in Saturday’s $1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington that took her record to nine wins after just 13 starts.

She is just the fifth filly and the first since 2011 to win the Australian Guineas. She will also be feted as the first Tasmanian-trained horse to win a recognised G1 event since the legendary Malua won the 1886 Australian Cup.

Mystic Journey has also elevated Needs Further, a son of Encosta De Lago from the high class Danehill mare Crowned Glory, to the status of a noted G1 sire in a further boost to his burgeoning reputation.

Needs Further, a G3 winner of three races, has become the success story of Tasmanian breeding since he was acquired by Armidale Stud in 2013.

The half-brother to Hallowed Crown has only three crops of racing age but already has sired 29 individual winners (3 SW) of 60 races from just 66 starters including 21 winners of 34 races this season.

With Mystic Journey set to contest some of Australia’s biggest races and his numbers certain to increase in the months ahead, the dilemma for the Wishaw’s is what they do with Needs Further’s service fee next season.

Prior to last week’s Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale – an auction where Mystic Journey was sold for only $11,000 in 2017 – the Wishaw’s indicated they would be reluctant to increase his current fee from $5500 (including GST) despite growing interest in the stallion from mainland breeders.

That interest is certain to accelerate in the wake of Mystic Journey’s Melbourne success and would justify a review of the fee Armidale Stud places on Needs Further next spring.

However there are fewer than 400 commercial mares in Tasmania and the Wishaws, known as great supporters of the Tasmanian industry, will be reluctant to increase Needs Further’s fee for fear of damaging the support Armidale Stud receives from the small but dedicated pool of local broodmare owners.

Mystic Journey was bred by a Victorian syndicate headed by Ralph Zito, who sent his NZ-bred Colombia mare White Gold to Needs Further in 2014 to take advantage of a rare and valuable cross.

Zito did his homework and noted that the resulting foal would be inbred 4x4 to Australian Broodmare of the Year Lady Giselle (Nureyev) and 4x5 to Klairessa (Klairon), dam of the iconic broodmare Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight).

Foaled and raised at Armidale Stud, Mystic Journey was purchased as a yearling for $11,000 by her trainer Adam Trinder for Wayne Roser, a retired lawyer who has become his stable’s major client.

One of the first horses purchased by Trinder for Roser, Mystic Journey took her earnings to $1,012,600 with Saturday’s win.

“We bought her as a nice little cheap filly that we thought would do the job for us," Trinder said. "Never in our wildest of dreams did we think we would be in a Group One."

Mystic Journey - one of three winners foaled by White Gold - is also a three-quarter sister to Mystical Pursuit, the Needs Further 2YO filly who is unbeaten in four starts this season for Trinder and Roser after they purchased her for $28,000 as a yearling at the 2018 Tasmanian sale.

Mystic Journey is a sister to the stakes-placed Oronero and half-sister to Oh So Gold (Savoire Vivre), the dam of Mystical Pursuit.

Mystical Pursuit’s fourth dam Lanna D'Oro is a half-sister to Eight Carat and full sister to Habibti.