The Castelvecchios are coming!
Castelvecchio stands alongside his sire Dundeel at Arrowfield which has quite a record with fathers & sons, after standing Danehill then Danzero, Flying Spur & Redoute’s Choice; followed by Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt & Beneteau. (PHOTO: Joan Faras)
Nineteen yearlings from the first crop of 2YO & 3YO Group 1 winner Castelvecchio are catalogued for Magic Millions 2023 and Arrowfield will offer 9 of them.
The Stud’s Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer reports after on-farm parades of the first Castelvecchio yearlings over the past couple of weeks:
“Buyers are telling us they’re very much of a type, showing the influence of his damsire Dehere with plenty of substance and quality Dundeel-style heads.
“They have good body mass, and good actions, and they look earlier than the average Dundeel, which is no surprise as Castelvecchio was a very competitive two-year-old in a strong year.”
Indeed he was. Castelvecchio burst onto the Sydney racing scene as a 2YO in January 2019 with a eye-opening debut victory. Three weeks later he produced a similarly spectacular last-to-first effort in the inaugural $2 million Inglis Millennium RL.
Little more than two months after that, Castelvecchio was a 2YO Group 1 winner, sprinting past the high-class filly Loving Gaby and setting a Randwick 2YO 1600m record in the Champagne Stakes.
At season-end, he was rated above the Golden Slipper & Blue Diamond winners on the Australian Classifications and headed Timeform’s 2YO ratings with a figure of 121.
Jon Freyer says, “Castelvecchio’s two-year-old career alone was enough to make us want to stand him – his Cox Plate second and Guineas win at three just confirmed the depth of his talent.”
A selection of Arrowfield’s Magic Millions yearlings by Castelvecchio
Jon shares his catalogue notes on four of Castelvecchio’s yearlings in Arrowfield’s Magic Millions draft:
Lot 198 Filly ex Ocean Challenger – “Superb quality, great depth and a lovely rein. Beautifully coupled.”
Lot 202 Colt ex Opportunity – “Strong-bodied, correct with plenty of length, and a great hip and shoulder. Fluent mover.“
Lot 423 Colt ex Statuette – “A very stylish, athletic colt with nice balance, a super walk and a great rein.”
Lot 640 Colt ex Ballet Blanc – “Very much like his sire with a dash of Dehere also.”
Other farms selling yearlings by Castelvecchio at Magic Millions are Bhima Thoroughbreds, Cambridge Stud, Glenbeigh Farm, Glenlogan Park, Kenmore Lodge, Kitchwin Hills, Milburn Creek & Vinery Stud.
