Strong start for Redoute's Choice in Europe

A quick-fire sequence of four 3YO winners in three weeks has given champion sire Redoute’s Choice a strong start to the 2017 season in Europe.

Al Shaqab Racing’s filly Wajnah (ex Benzolina by Second Empire) is the latest of the quartet to salute, when she returned on Sundayto Bordeaux-Le Bouscat, where she won on debut over 1600 metres last September, to score again over the same distance. Settled in second place by jockey Greogry Benoist, Wajnah made her run round the turn and sustained a solid effort up the straight to defeat La Sardane and Silver Storm.

Wajnah is a half-sister to Listed winners Bassamba and Baine (also runner-up in the French 1000 Guineas G1) from the family of champion sprinter and leading sire Anabaa. Bred by her trainer Francois Rohaut and Haras de Saint Pair, she was bought for €260,000 at the 2015 Arqana October Sale by agent Nicolas de Watrigant. Along with several other Redoute’s Choice fillies, including last season’s winners Astronomy’s Choice, Gold Luck & Deep Inside, Wajnah is nominated for the French 1000 Guineas G1 at Deauville on 13 May.

Close relatives Eyes On Asha and Spotify supplied wins within 24 hours of each other last week. Eyes On Asha won by 2.5 lengths over 6 furlongs at her Newcastle UK debut on Friday, an eye-catching effort after missing the kick and racing near the back of the field.

Watch Eyes On Asha win at Newcastle

The Kevin Ryan-trained daughter of Redoute’s Choice fetched a near-record €775,000 after a fast breeze-up at last year’s Arqana May 2YO Sale. She is out of the Italian stakeswinner Sunday Nectar (by Footstepsinthesand) and shares her grand-dam with Spotify, who saluted at Chantilly last Thursday.

A home-bred for the Wertheimers, Spotify (ex Gwenseb by Green Tune) also kept his unbeaten record when he won powered home in fine style to win a 1900-metre event by three lengths at Chantilly last Thursday. A half-brother to Group winners Attendu and Impassable, Spotify is prepared by Christophe Ferland.

Watch Spotify win at Chantilly – video replay courtesy of TDN and Fasig-Tipton

It was also at Chantilly that the Roth family’s filly Golden Attitude gave Redoute’s Choice his first European winner of 2017 when she won a 1900-metre event on 14 February.

Fourth at her debut last November, Golden Attitude is among the first European runners for American owner-breeders Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth whose horses campaign under the name of  LNJ Foxwoods. They bought her dam Gold Round (by Caerleon) in 2012, sent her to Redoute’s Choice at Haras de Bonneval and then to the United States where she foaled Golden Attitude in 2014.

Gold Round’s major claim to fame is that she’s a half-sister to champion Goldikova, but she was a Group 3 winner herself and has done a wonderful job at stud, leaving three stakeswinners among 10 winners, most recently the filly Golden Valentine, who won last year’s Deauville Prix Minerve G3 for the Roths.

Like her older half-sister and Goldikova, Golden Attitude is trained by Freddie Head. Head also prepares the Wertheimer filly Gold Luck, Goldikova’s 3YO half-sister by Redoute’s Choice, who won her debut last September and was then stakes-placed at Deauville.
 
Watch replays of these races at France-Galop:
Wajnah – 5 March, Bordeaux-Le Bouscat, Prix de la Societe d’Encouragement de Bordeaux
Golden Attitude – 14 February, Chantilly, Prix de la Croix Vaillant