15 Saturdays, one Sunday – Arrowfield’s big year
Arrowfield graduates have won 33 Group & Listed Races in 2024, including 6 Group 1 victories by Autumn Angel, Celestial Legend, Lady Shenandoah, Private Life & Switzerland. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
As the Australian thoroughbred industry winds down towards a briefly celebrated Christmas before revving up again for peak Summer racing & the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale & Raceday, Arrowfield looks back on one of the most spectacular 12-month periods in its four-decade history.
Last Sunday’s Group 1 2YO win by Maurice’s son Admire Zoom in Japan capped a fabulous year of 15 news-making Saturdays featuring 9 Group 1 victories, a Group 1 trifecta, a Group 1 quinella, rewarding pay-days for many owners & stables and multiple Group race successes by Arrowfield graduates & stallions.
Thank you to every Arrowfielder and all the horse-people, the breeders, vendors, buyers, owners, trainers & jockeys, and most of all, the exceptional horses who gave us so many unforgettable moments in 2024. Here’s how Arrowfield’s big year played out:
Saturday 2 March
Estriella & Tutta La Vita deliver an $800,000+ day
Two years after buying triple Classic winner Hitotsu from Arrowfield at Magic Millions 2020, owners Kevin & Vikki Payne returned to pluck a pair of stellar fillies, Estriella (I Am Invincible-Madrigals) and Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun-Negotiate) from Arrowfield’s Inglis Easter draft. Estriella’s $1 million Inglis Sprint win at Flemington and Tutta La Vita’s staunch third in the $750,000 Surround S. G1 at Randwick produced an outstanding result for the Paynes, but that wasn’t all they delivered in 2024.
Estriella went on to win the $500,000 Sunlight Classic LR & $300,000 Caufield Sprint G2, while Tutta La Vita was sold for $3.2 million – more than 10 times her yearling sale price – at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
Saturday 9 March
Big race treble by graduates Celestial Legend, Switzerland & Autumn Angel
Legend Racing’s $220,000 Inglis Classic purchase Celestial Legend (ex Sarraqa) and Militarize (ex Amerindia) landed the $1 million Randwick Guineas G1 quinella for Dundeel, 2YO colt Switzerland (Snitzel-Ms Bad Behavior) won the Todman S. G2 on the same card and the Moody & Coleman-trained Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun-Angel Of Mercy) won the Kewney S. G2 at Flemington.
Saturday 6 April
Dundeel colts dominate the G1 Doncaster Mile
Militarize led 200 metres out, but it was Celestial Legend who claimed the $4 million Doncaster Mile G1, flying through the field from an almost impossible position, with Godolphin 4YO Pericles second and Militarize bravely holding third.
“I thought at the 200 he was gone, but he is something special this horse. What is he worth now?”
– Hall of Fame trainer Les Bridge after Celestial Legend’s Doncaster G1 victory
Saturday 13 April
Autumn Angel wins the G1 Australian Oaks
Dalziel Racing’s $230,000 Arrowfield graduate Autumn Angel became The Autumn Sun’s first Group 1 winner after defeating a stellar field in the $1 million Australian Oaks G1 at Randwick. Five months later she was sold for $1.225 million.
Saturday 27 April
The Autumn Sun’s Group 1 Oaks trifecta
It was a stunning 1-2-3 finish by The Autumn Sun’s daughters Vibrant Sun (ex Vibrant Rouge), Arrowfield graduate Private Legacy (ex Private Secretary) & Coco Sun (ex Miss Hufflepuff) in the $1 million Australasian Oaks G1 at Morphettville. It’s only the third Oaks, Guineas or Derby trifecta by a single stallion that we can find in the last 40 years of Australasian turf records.
Saturday 4 May
Coco Sun wins the G1 South Australian Derby
Terry Jarvis’ Coco Sun, trained by Tony & Calvin McEvoy, backed up from her Oaks third to defeat Warmonger, Air Assault & 12 other colts & geldings in the $1 million South Australian Derby G1. That sealed a momentous three weeks for The Autumn Sun whose first 87 runners included three Group 1 winners and 3 other Group 1 performers plus Group-winning 2YO & 3YO Autumn Ballet, a $340,000 yearling purchase from Arrowfield & and re-sold at the 2024 Inglis Chairman’s Sale for $1.6 million.
Saturday 18 May
Magic Millions graduate treble – Sky Lab, Lazzura & Bittercreek
6YO gelding Sky Lab (Real Impact-Gold Mission) took out Friday’s Scone Cup LR and a day later 2YO filly Lazzura (Snitzel-Laguna Azzurra) won the Arrowfield Woodlands S. LR at Scone, and 2YO colt Bittercreek (Snitzel-Rose Of Cimmaron) won the Sprit Of Boom Classic G2 at Doomben.
Sky Lab is one of the great “under-the-radar” buys from Arrowfield at Magic Millions: purchased by trainer Paul Perry for just $48,000, he’s now earned $1.4 million from 6 wins & 8 placings over six seasons.
Saturday 21 September
Autumn Glow & Snow In May quinella the G2 Tea Rose
Inglis Easter sale-topper, brilliant debut winner & the first filly to win the Up and Coming S. G3 – the Arrowfield & Hermitage-owned, Chris Waller-trained Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun-Via Africa) raised expectations at every step, and once again met them flawlessly in the Tea Rose S. G2, with Snow In May (by The Autumn Sun) second.
“Chris said, ‘you ride her, you’re on top, you go with her. I’ve got as much faith in the filly as I do you.’ Hopefully it’s a good combination and she’s classy. She’s got all the class in the world. Have a look at her.”
– James McDonald after Autumn Glow’s Tea Rose G2 victory
Saturday 5 October
Lady Shenandoah wins G1 Flight Stakes
The disappointment of Autumn Glow’s absence from the $750,000 Flight S. G1 was erased by the dominant, 3-length victory of Arrowfield graduate Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel-Star Pupil) for Hermitage & the Waller stable, with Snow In May third.
And, all going well, Autumn Glow will be back in Autumn 2025!
Saturday 12 October
Private Life’s G1 Caulfield Guineas & Group wins for Switzerland & El Castello
At only his 5th start, Private Life (Written Tycoon-Aliyana Tilde) became Arrowfield’s 5th graduate winner of the $3 million Caulfield Guineas G1 with a classy front-running performance he then franked with a close-up 5th in the Champions Sprint G1 at Flemington.
On the Rosehill card, Switzerland confirmed his explosive sprinting speed in the Roman Consul S. G2 and Castelvecchio notched up first stakeswinner when the Anthony Cummings-trained 3YO colt El Castello (ex Word Games) won the Gloaming S. G3.
Saturday 19 October
Estriella, Lady In Pink, Kingofwallstreet & Lofty Arch at Caulfield, Ostraka & Aeliana at Randwick
The third of Arrowfield’s four extraordinary Saturdays in October sent our heads spinning with six feature wins in 4 hectic hours.
Lofty Arch (Snitzel-Soneva) kicked off proceedings with victory in the Gothic S. LR, immediately followed by Kingofwallstreet (Dundeel-Our Girl Raquie) in the Norman Robinson S. G3 & Aeliana (Castelvecchio-Temolie) in the Reginald Allen Quality LR.
Two hours later Estriella won the Caulfield Sprint G2, then Arrowfield graduate Lady In Pink (Pariah-Iron Lace) claimed the Tristarc S. G2 and the $1 million Silver Eagle was won by Arrowfield-bred-&-sold Ostraka (Pariah-Madame Andree). What. A. Day!
Saturday 26 October
Snitzel’s Group treble, Castelvecchio’s Group 1 & 2 double, and a G2 winner for Dundeel
Repeating the previous Saturday’s success on Cox Plate day seemed an impossible dream, but we should know better by now – the swings of racing fortune can be outrageous in both directions, and outrageous success is always possible when Snitzel is involved. He reeled out Bittercreek to win the Red Anchor S. G3, Prost (ex Sarmameteors) to land the $1 million Callander-Presnell G2 and Arrowfield graduate Baraqiel (ex Angel Of Mercy) to break Miss Andretti’s class record in the McEwen S. G2.
Dundeel also added a new stakeswinner Red Aces (ex Cardiac) in the Moonee Valley Vase G2 and his son Castelvecchio posted a milestone double, courtesy of El Castello in the Spring Champion S. G1, and Double Market (ex First Tier) in the Moonee Valley Fillies Classic G2.
Saturday 2 November
Switzerland’s G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes & G3 wins for Aeliana & Isthmus
The ascent of a brightly gifted colt to Group 1-winning status never fails to excite and Switzerland rang every bell when he swept to victory in the $2 million Coolmore Stud S. G1 on Derby Day at Flemington. He is Snitzel’s 21st Group 1 winner.
Star Thoroughbreds filly Aeliana had already begun the day with success in the Carbine Club S. G3 and Isthmus (I Am Invincible-Shoals) closed it out with her Furphy Sprint G3 win, giving Arrowfield graduates & stallions a third of the card on one of the world’s major racedays.
“He’s an absolute star. He makes a jockey’s life so easy. He’s such a talented colt, he’s got gears to turn and after his jumpout here the other day, we were cooking with gas, he went super.”
– James McDonald after Switzerland’s Coolmore Stud S. G1 victory
Saturday 16 November
Group 3 victories by Snitzanova & Jasmin Rouge
A pair of 3YO fillies measured up in Group company at their second & third starts respectively. Jasmin Rouge (ex Sweetener) became Dundeel’s 33rd stakeswinner – and one of 9 in 2024 – when she won the Thoroughbred Club of Australia S. G3 at Caulfield, and Arrowfield graduate Snitzanova (Snitzel-Albanilla) took out the Newcastle Spring S. G3. But her year wasn’t quite finished…
Saturday 30 November
Arrowfield Magic Millions graduates quinella G2 Sandown Guineas
A wide run without cover seemed likely to undo Snitzanova in the Sandown Guineas G2 but she kept fighting and finally won a spirited battle with Bittercreek to nail the 20th black type victory of Snitzel’s year, and the 294th of his amazing career.
Sunday 15 December
6th Group 1 winner for Maurice
Maurice’s 2YO son Admire Zoom (ex Daiwa Zoom) put himself in line for year-end honours with an exuberant, 2.5-length victory in the Kyoto Asahi Hai Futurity G1. All 5 current Arrowfield stallions with 3YO+ runners have now posted at least one Group 1 winner in 2024.
Now to do it all again in 2025 – warmest festive wishes & Happy New Year from all of us at Arrowfield!
