Redoute's Choice's formidable record unmatched
In finishing second to Lonhro on the 2010/11 Australian General Sires’ table, Redoute’s Choice maintains a formidable record not matched by any other current Australian-based stallion.
Pictured: The lovely Redoute’s Choice filly Florentina wins at Rosehill on Saturday, defeating the Arrowfield/Blue Sky-owned Double Ranga. (PHOTO: Martin King/Sportpix)
Since 2005, Redoute’s Choice has appeared among Australia’s top three sires six times – more than any other active stallion – finishing third in 2005 & 2007, second in 2009 & 2011, and winning the Championship in 2006 & 2010.
He is also the only active Australian sire to win the title as early as his sixth season at stud. His own sire, the peerless Danehill, won his first General Sires’ premiership in 1995, with two crops racing. Redoute’s Choice is the only stallion to approach that exceptional achievement, becoming champion sire of Australia in 2006 with three crops of racing age.
Redoute’s Choice’s continued occupation of the top few spots on the prizemoney table is notable, but it is always lifetime statistics that confirm the true worth of a stallion. Redoute’s Choice is among the world’s very best sires with three Group 1 winners from every 105 runners to date, and an outstanding 11% stakeswinners-to-runners figure.
New frontiers have opened up for Redoute’s Choice in the past two years, as his first sire sons have begun to make their mark at stud, and his northern time-conceived runners have earned their first European black type. Stratum and Snitzel led the Australian First Season Sires’ list last season, and fill the top two spots again on the 2010/11 Second Season Sires’ table – the first pair to do this since Redoute’s Choice and Commands in 2004/05.
Not A Single Doubt ‘s success in 2010/11 was uncorked by Doubtful Jack and Squamosa in the spring and kept flowing as they were joined by flying 2YO filly Karuta Queen, Western Australian juvenile Single Spice, Castlethorpe in South Africa, Always Certain in Singapore and a host of city winners. In a challenging marketplace, Not A Single Doubt’s yearlings were greeted with enthusiasm and an average price of six times service fee. In all, eight sons of Redoute’s Choice have already left stakeswinners.
Last year’s winning debut and subsequent Royal Ascot Group 2 placing by Elzaam heralded the start of a new phase in Redoute’s Choice’s career, as his early northern-time conceived runners began to make a serious impact. Elzaam has progressed in 2011 to become Redoute’s Choice’s first European stakeswinner, and run a brave fourth in the Royal Ascot Golden Jubilee S. G1.
He has been joined by Tazahum, who won the Sandown Heron S. LR in May, two more 3YOs Maraheb & Nauru, and a pair of promising 2YO fillies, Rakasa, a winner on debut at Goodwood last week, and Night Garden, successful at Clairefontaine yesterday. The ownership of these six horses is evenly split between Sheikh Hamdan with the colts (Elzaam, Tazahum and Maraheb), and Sheikh Mohammed with the fillies (Night Garden, Rakasa and Nauru).
Back in Australia, Saturday’s racing at Rosehill produced the first shoots of what promises to be a bountiful spring for Arrowfield’s champion sire when John Camilleri’s beautiful filly Florentina and the strapping 4YO horse Altius, owned by the Tagg, Moffitt & Meduri partnership, posted early campaign victories.
