An Arrowfield-flavoured Everest
The firing line of the 2022 Everest field charges for the winning post: the winner Giga Kick (white cap, red & white stripes), runner-up Private Eye (black & lime green, Inglis cap), third-placed Mazu (red silks, outside) and fourth-placed Nature Strip (yellow-spotted cap). (PHOTO: Martin King/Sportpix) Thumbnail image by Lisa Grimm.
There’s a rich flavour of Arrowfield in the stunning result of this year’s $15 million The Everest, brilliantly won by Giga Kick from Private Eye & Mazu.
Bred & raced by Jonathan Munz, 3YO Giga Kick (by former Arrowfield sire Scissor Kick, a Group-winning son of Redoute’s Choice) was born & raised for the first 10 months of his life at Arrowfield, where his then-18 year-old mother Rekindled Applause foaled him on 19 October 2019. That explains why he carries the Arrowfield brand.
Four of the six runnings of The Everest have been won by Arrowfield-sired horses, with Giga Kick following Classique Legend (by Not A Single Doubt; 2020) and Redzel (by Snitzel; 2017 & 2018). Giga Kick also brought up a notable double for slot-holder James Harron & partners who won with Redzel in 2017.
Proven Thoroughbreds’ runner-up Private Eye, who ran for slot-holder Inglis, is out of the Arrowfield & Jungle Pocket-bred mare Confidential Queen (by Shamardal from Snitzel’s half-sister Royal Snippets), sold as a yearling in 2013. Confidential Queen has a yearling colt by Shalaa.
The Parsons Creek-bred, Triple Crown-owned & Snowden-trained Mazu boasts an Arrowfield sire (Maurice) and damsire (Flying Spur) and finished a scintillating third for slot-holders Arrowfield and The Star Sydney. Eduardo filled the same position in last year’s Everest for The Star and Arrowfield.
Giga Kick wins The TAB Everest!@Dougie_5 trained Giga Kick charges home to claim the $15 Million #tabeverest defeating Private Eye and Mazu with favourite Nature Strip fourth. @TAB @CWilliamsJockey pic.twitter.com/zqBqorlPui
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) October 15, 2022
Trainer Clayton Douglas paid little attention to Giga Kick’s 20/1 starting odds.
“I had a lot of confidence in this horse. He’s a superstar…He’s such a professional and you can see today, with the 53 kilos when ridden like that, he’s electric.
“It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but he wasn’t in the race to make the numbers up and I had a lot of faith in him. Watch out, the new kid is on the block.”
Arrowfield and Jonathan Munz’s GSA Bloodstock gave Scissor Kick strong support at stud, breeding more than half of the 198 foals born during his four-season Australian stud career. Those four crops have produced 56 winners, headed by Giga Kick and the Arrowfield graduate Listed winner Dzsenifer. Scissor Kick’s final 17 Australian-born foals are now 2YOs.
From 2017 Scissor Kick shuttled to French stud Haras d’Etreham where he remained at the end of the 2020 season before being sold to a North African sport horse breeder.
With $7.3 million prizemoney, Scissor Kick now leads So You Think and Snitzel (sire of Saturday’s Gothic S. LR winner Sandpaper) on the Australian General Sires’ Premiership, while Maurice has leapt into 13th spot with season earnings of $2.7 million. A fourth Arrowfield stallion Dundeel, sire of Saturday’s Angst S. G3 winner Hope In Your Heart, also holds a top 20 spot with 35 winners and prizemoney of $2.1 million.
The Broodmare Sires’ table has been similarly shaken up, with Giga Kick’s damsire Royal Applause now on top, ahead of Redoute’s Choice & Encosta de Lago, with Flying Spur 8th.
