6 yearlings add variety to Arrowfield’s draft
Arrowfield Magic Millions graduates Tagaloa (by Lord Kanaloa; Blue Diamond G1), Private Life (by Written Tycoon; Caulfield Guineas G1) & Profondo (by Deep Impact; Spring Champion S. G1). (PHOTOS: Bronwen Healy)
Arrowfield, like every other stud, is entitled to be ever so slightly one-eyed about its own stallions. And when you’re talking about stallions like Snitzel, The Autumn Sun, Dundeel, Maurice, Castelvecchio & Hitotsu, it’s very easy to keep one eye shut!
However, that doesn’t mean ignoring the quality of stallions available at other farms in Australia, New Zealand and further afield. First and foremost, Arrowfield is a breeder dedicated to producing top athletes, so John & Paul Messara and their team always keep open minds about the best opportunities for the Stud’s mares.
Every so often, Arrowfield will purchase shares in a stallion standing elsewhere. Some outside matings are decided in consultation with breeding partners, and some are designed specifically to breed a filly the Stud wants to retain. In other cases, mares are purchased carrying foals by other stallions that Arrowfield is happy to present for sale as yearlings.
And in one special case, Champion Sire Written Tycoon stood the 2020 season at Arrowfield, producing a stunning crop of 150 foals, 14 of them now stakeswinners, including 4 Group 1 winners – three out of Snitzel mares.
The results for buyers of Arrowfield yearlings by non-Arrowfield sires have been very good: think Magic Millions graduates Private Life & Skyhook (both by Written Tycoon), Profondo (by Deep Impact) and Tagaloa (by Lord Kanaloa).
That puts a bright spotlight on these 6 yearlings in Arrowfield’s upcoming Magic Millions draft, with valuable background notes by Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer below the slideshow:
LOT 46: PINATUBO – ALWAYS ON MY MIND FILLY
“Always On My Mind showed great ability and as a daughter of Stay With Me (by Street Cry), this is the same cross as the Anamoe-Time Check colt, but in reverse. This filly isn’t big like her mother, but is very strong.”
LOT 87: MUNNINGS – BALZENYA FILLY
“Balzenya, who was injured and never raced, hails from an amazing family. Her dam Balance, who has just left US Listed winner Zverev, was a real star of the American scene, but was overshadowed by her incomparable half-sister Zenyatta. We bred her to Munnings, a very successful sire of fast horses, the US version of Not A Single Doubt. This is a high-class filly, very forward and strong with a great hip – a real sprinting Magic Millions type.”
LOT 337: ST MARK’S BASILICA – GRITO FILLY
“We felt St Mark’s Basilica has the right credentials and we sent him a number of mares in his first and second seasons. His female family is quite similar to The Autumn Sun’s so a Redoute’s Choice mare would suit him and particularly one with Grito’s size and scope. This is a nice filly who moves beautifully.”
LOT 543: SWORD OF STATE – MIRROR QUEEN FILLY
“We bought a share in Sword Of State who was an outstanding two-year-old by Snitzel. Mirror Queen was talented and from a very good family that hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck – her half-brother Invisible was potentially a very good colt. We sent the mare to New Zealand for this mating, we’re very pleased with the resulting filly and indeed, how Sword Of State’s first crop is performing.”
LOT 678: BIVOUAC – PLANNED COLT
“We purchased Planned at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale carrying this colt. We love the female family and the fact Planned is by a very good son of Teofilo, whose blood is gold. This colt is similarly bred to Beiwacht in that he carries a duplication of Mr Prospector on his dam’s side. He is a really smart colt and a great first foal for the mare.”
LOT 911: ANAMOE – TIME CHECK COLT
“Anamoe is a stallion we like, being such a high class two-year-old who trained on. We fancied the mating with Time Check as she is a daughter of Shamardal and we felt she would nick with a Street Boss stallion for the line-breeding to blue hen Helen Street. The result is quite an imposing colt who looks a lot like Anamoe.”
Note: Lot 233, the Kingman-Dubai Blue colt will be withdrawn from the Magic Millions Sale.
