A Date with Destiny for Arrowfield Stud

It seems one of the inexplicable riddles of the turf that time after time, horses destined to be worth their weight in gold have been virtually given away, while others whose pedigree and looks have warranted immense sums being paid for them, have turned out to be little better then worthless.

And so it is with the real life rags to riches story of two year old filly, Chance Bye (Snitzel ex Rouge Femme by Red Ransom) who made it two wins from as many starts with an explosive performance in the $250 000 Racing NSW Rewards Club Inglis Classic at Rosehill on 23rd January.

A $15 000 Inglis Classic purchase, Chance Bye has now earned $341,000 in prizemoney and upwards of $200,000 in bonuses and sales incentives for knockabout trainer Michael Tubman as well as the title of nominal favourite for this years Golden Slipper.

“I’d say she is just about the best two-year-old I’ve ridden,” enthused jockey Kathy O’Hara, who sees no reason Chance Bye won’t measure up to the pressure of the Golden Slipper. “I don’t see why not. She’s only beaten B-graders but she’s done it in the fashion you want and running time,” she said. “She was pretty impressive today. She traveled really nicely. There was a very strong head wind down the back after the southerly blew up and she did all the work in front.”

Currently enjoying a short break, Chance Bye will be brought back for a try at the Silver Slipper Stakes ahead of the $3.5 million Golden Slipper on Easter Saturday.

With racing fans taking the Snitzel filly into their hearts, it would perhaps be fitting that the 2010 Slipper should belong to Sydney’s unbeaten Cinderella filly, her slipper credentials going beyond her undoubted ability to a pedigree sireline and mare combination courted by Arrowfield stud for what could be another date with slipper destiny.

That mare is Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere ex Scampering by Misty Day) whose own Slipper association stretches back to the 2007 quinella when the John Hawkes trained filly, Forensics came off a win in the G3 Kindergarten Stakes, to beat home the more fancied Hayes trained colt Zizou (Fusaichi Pegasis ex Natural Is My Name by Naturalism).

A $900,000 Easter yearling purchase, Forensic’s Slipper win saw her sire, Flying Spur (Danehill ex Rolls by Mr Prospector), join an elite group of stallions who have both won and sired a Slipper winner. It is a testament to the stallion line up offered by Arrowfield Stud that one other such stallion stands alongside Flying Spur, the 1994 winner Danzero, also a son of Danehill, having sired the 2004 winner, Dance Hero.

True to its sire making tradition, it is perhaps no coincidence that the 1999 Slipper favourite and late scratching, Redoute’s Choice (ex Shanta’s Choice by Canny Lad) another Arrowfield resident and Danehill son, has sired The Slipper winners Stratum in 2005 and daughter, Miss Finland in 2006.

Danehill’s ability to produce smart, precocious runners, including five previous Slipper winners, Flying Spur, Danzero, Merlene, Catbird and Ha Ha seems to have passed safely into the hands of his sons and now perhaps his grandsons.

To date, Star Kingdom is the only other sire to have dominated Slipper pedigrees in such a way. With his son Todman’s eight length win in the inaugural event in 1957, his sons and daughters raced on to secure uninterrupted victories in the next four runnings.

Like Flying Spur and Danzero, Star Kingdom’s slipper winning son, Todman, also went on to sire slipper winners Eskimo Prince and Sweet Embrace and his other sons and daughters can be found prominently in the pedigrees of many winners today.

Sireline dominance aside, it is extraordinary to note the influence of Easy Date in the 2007 quinella, as she appears as the third dam of both Forensics and Zizou, a result highlighting her line as one of the most exciting families currently in the country.

Their relationship however, is closer still, with Forensics granddam and Zizous dam being ¾ sisters in blood as both mares are also daughters of Naturalism (Palace Music ex Zephyr Souba by Zephyr Bay) a stallion who confirmed his own racing class by beating an all time great, Veandercross, in both the AJC Guineas and Derby.

Naturalism’s daughter, Prove It, produced Forensics in her first season at stud. A minor winner, Prove It is a half-sister to the Waltzing Lily Quality Handicap and Queen Adelaide Stakes victor, Regrowth, and to the Champagne Stakes runner-up, Sharp Aunty, also by Forensics’ sire, Flying Spur.

From 16 foals, Easy Date produced 11 winners including champion racehorse, stallion, broodmare sire and now sire-of sires, Snippets, as well as the Apollo Stakes winner Quick Score, stakes winner and producer Asawir, also the granddam of the Invitation Stakes heroine, Rewaaya; and Singles Bar, granddam of Zizou.

Singles Bar (Rory’s Jester ex Easy Date by Grand Chaudiere) is also the dam of multiple stakes winner and Arrowfield stallion barnmate, Not a Single Doubt (by Redoute’s Choice).

Lest one should think the presence of Easy Date is a mere coincidence in the pedigree of an Arrowfield sire, she also figures prominently in the pedigree of their newest stud sensation, and sire of Chance Bye, Snitzel (Redoutes Choice ex Snippets’ Lass by Snippets). Snitzel’s dam sire, Snippets, being a son of Easy Date.

The early precocity of the Snitzel stock reflects Snitzel’s own performance as a record-breaking 2YO who won his first start in the Listed Breeders Plate (1000m) before training on at 3 for G1 glory against the older sprinters Takeover Target and Virage de Fortune.

Well supported by breeders in his first three seasons at stud, Snitzel currently leads the first season sires table with $658,410 in earnings ahead of Flying Spur’s son, Jet Spur with $318, 600 in earnings. However, Snitzel’s performance becomes even more notable when you consider that the runners we have seen were relatively inexpensive yearling purchases. Chance Bye was a $15,000 Inglis Classic Sale graduate, One More Grand (3 starts for 2 wins and $73,300 in earnings) cost just $35,000 at the 2009 Inglis Scone Yearling Sale, and Bouzy Rouge (5 starts for 1 win and 3 placings and $16,500 in earnings) was passed in at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

So should the Chance Bye fairy tale continue it may be just another success story surrounding the Arrowfield formula of standing stallions with strong slipper sireline credentials combined with descendents of Easy Date.

And as these stallions take their place alongside Danehill and Star Kingdom in their ability to sire important winners, recognition should now also go to Easy Date whose presence in a slipper pedigree appears equally important.

Story by Caroline Press for Stallions.com.au