Redoute’s Choice Colts to Contest UAE Guineas Trial

Champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice will have two runners in the UAE Guineas Trial at the Meydan meeting in Dubai on Thursday, February 4, the Australian bred colts attempting to emulate the performance of Australian bred filly Raihana who won the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial last week.

Like Raihana, Musir and Solid Choice are both homebreds for Sheikh Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, foaled and raised in Australia, offered for sale and passed in, then sent to South Africa to be prepared by leading trainer Mike de Kock.

Mike de Kock has a big team in Dubai to compete throughout the carnival with the following comments from his website offering some insight into his three year-olds.

“The young South African horses look terrific and are doing well. Solid Choice in particular has been impressive, he has taken to the all-weather track well. Musir and Mr Crazy Boy (Arg) are also making good progress, as a trio we are looking forward to seeing them on the racetrack.”

Talented colt Musir, a colt from the Encosta de Lago mare Dizzy de Lago, is already a Group One winner having taken out the Golden Horseshoe in South Africa last season and comes into this race with the record of two wins and a second from three starts and the title of Champion South African 2YO.

His stablemate Solid Choice is no slouch either, having won two of five starts in South Africa and beaten Musir in a 1450 metre event at Clairwood back in June, so is the only horse to have beaten Musir to date.

Solid Choice is the first foal of the Gone West mare Venetian Pride (USA), a daughter of Group Two winner Via Borghese.

She was exported to Argentina last year after being covered in 2008 by Bernardini (USA), but does have a two year-old filly by Redoute’s Choice still in Australia called Baheeya, with David Payne listed as the trainer.

Source: Tara Madgwick, Breednet