Abundant talent firing for champion Arrowfield sire
There is always an aura of majesty around Redoute’s Choice when he parades at Arrowfield, as he did before hundreds of stud visitors during last month’s busy Open House sessions.
Yet majestic is, as majestic does in the thoroughbred business and reputations must be constantly polished with the grease of performance.
Pictured: Arrowfield Stallion Manager Joe Hickey parades Redoute’s Choice for stud visitors last month. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
The new season is not six weeks old and already Redoute’s Choice has two stakeswinners, Albrecht and Dystopia, among an abundance of fresh & returning talent that has produced 24 Australian winners since 1 August.
John Singleton‘s 4YO gelding Strawberry Boy (ex Strawberry Girl by Strawberry Road) is bidding to be the next stakeswinner by Redoute’s Choice, after today’s strong win over 1600 metres at Warwick Farm in class record time of 1:36.43.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse has nothing but big ambitions for him, and he will now head to Melbourne for the MRC Naturalism S. G3 on 22 September. The winner of that race is exempt from the ballot for the Caulfield Cup G1 on 20 October.
The current group of potential stars by Redoute’s Choice also includes two home-bred winners at Cranbourne on Thursday, both from well-performed daughters of Stravinsky.
Redoute’s Choice’s owner-breeder Mr Muzaffar Yaseen races 3YO colt Lankan Rupee (from Group 3 winner Estelle Collection) who scored nicely on debut over 1000 metres and indicated to trainer Mick Price that he’s on track for black type success this spring.
Sheikh Mohammed‘s 4YO mare Outdoor (from the outstanding dual Oaks winner Serenade Rose) carried topweight of 59.5 kg to her third win by 1.5 lengths and, as a daughter of dual Oaks winner Serenade Rose, seems likely to enjoy distances well beyond the 1400 metres of that race.
A pair of Arrowfield graduates by Redoute’s Choice featured in Thursday’s racing at Canterbury, with Saint La Bamba (ex La Bamba by Last Tycoon) posting his first city win, and 3YO filly Wind Bender (ex Dowry by Bahhare) finishing third on debut, behind her stablemate Hoybell. Trainer Chris Waller described both fillies as “horses with serious futures.”
A week earlier at Canterbury, another member of Redoute’s Choice’s 2009 crop, the Cressfield-bred colt Laser Flash (from stakeswinner Personify by Galileo), relished the step up to 1900 metres and broke his maiden at his fourth start. Trainer David Payne afterwards declared him the stable’s Victoria Derby G1 horse.
New Zealand racing seems certain to provide several highlights for Redoute’s Choice this spring. His 5YO stakes-winning daughter Papilio (ex Lafleur by Zabeel) opened her 2012/13 account with a fine win over 1400 metres at Hastings last Saturday. The Taranaki Breeders’ S. G3 at Hawera on 13 October is the short-term goal for her.
Papilio’s owner-breeders Peter & Philip Vela will also be represented this season by the sisters 5YO Dolmabache and 3YO Pure Elegance (from Our Exchezeaux by Zabeel). They both indicated their readiness for spring stakes racing with trial wins at Paeroa on 28 August. Dolmabache is already a Group 2 winner, while Pure Elegance won her only 2YO start by 5.5 lengths in March.
Burgundy, the charismatic Group 3-winning son of Redoute’s Choice from Grand Echezeaux (the Group 1-winning sister to Our Echezeaux), completes a powerful quartet of Vela-bred runners by Redoute’s Choice across the Tasman. David Ellis, manager of the Te Akau 2010 Breeding Syndicate which races Burgundy, reports on the Te Akau Stud website that he is thrilled with how the 4YO entire is progressing in his current preparation.
Redoute’s Choice, who maintains an elite sire’s 11% SW/runners strike rate, stands in 2012 at a fee of $137,500 inc. GST.
