‘King’ still wears crown

But Arrowfield Stud’s trump card has come up with another superior Group 1 winner. 

Redoute’s Choice colt The Autumn Sun retained his unbeaten record to take the $600,000 BRC Jaguar Land Rover JJ Atkins Stakes for two-year-olds –  a race among the star-studded Stradbroke Handicap program in Brisbane last Saturday. 

A $700,000 Australian Easter Yearling Sale graduate from the Arrowfield Stud draft, The Autumn Sun showed great determination and is sure to be a future star. 

Defeating the Chris Waller trained stable-mate Zousain, The Autumn Sun became Redoute’s Choice’s 33rd Group 1 winner, and his ninth two-year-old Group 1 winner. 

Redoute’s Choice is now 21-years-old and what a servant he has been to the industry. 

But many commercial breeders tend to overlook older stallions when selecting a mate for their broodmares regardless of a sires’ status on siring winners, with broodmare owners vying for “the next big thing” and choosing a younger horse. 

Congratulations also to long-time Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker who scored his first Group 1 win when Dark Dream won the BRC Queensland Derby (for three-year-olds) on the same program. Having previous Group 1 placings, the conditioner has been training since 1991. 

Dark Dream adds a new Group 1 winner to the sire record of ex Arrowfield Stud stallion All American (by Roberto’s Red Ransom), who was transferred to Western Australia now at Geisel Park at Myalup, a coastal town about one and a half hour’s drive south of Perth. 

THE final selling session comprising of the second section of yearlings together with racehorses last week, helped push the 2018 Magic Millions National Sale to record levels with a total sale gross of $140 million.

It is just the second time in history such a figure has been reached.

The average price for a lot sold over the entire Gold Coast sale (which was conducted over three weeks) is a record $89,039. 

While Sepoy three-year-old Nathula fetched top at $165,000 of the racehorses, two yearlings shared top honours of the National Yearling Sale fetching $250,000 apiece. 

These were for Baramul Stud’s colt by Godolphin’s champion sire Exceed And Excel, from General Nediym mare Empress Wu, and for a New Zealand bred colt by Tavistock, from Lithograph. 

By Sadler’s Wells champion and deceased sire Montjeu, the Group 1 New Zealand winner Tavistock has proved a stud success siring well recalled Australian stakes winners including Tarzino, Tavago, Volkstok’n’barrell and Werther. 

While Magic Millions Bloodstock sales’ focus shifts west to the Perth Winter Yearling, Thoroughbred and Racehorse Sale at Belmont on June 24, Inglis conducts their Great Southern Sale at its Melbourne base of Oaklands Junction over five days from this Sunday. 

WHILE long time industry participant Robin Wise has transferred from Queensland to the Victoria, joining the team at Sun Stud at Kerrie, respected country race administrator Helen Sinclair has taken a new role of secretary/manager of the Manning Valley Race Club at Taree. 

Both women bring a wealth of experience to their respective new roles. 

Helen who is formerly of Scone, now spreads her knowledge and expertise to the vibrant racing region of the mid-north coast. 

BACKERS of wayward but talented galloper Eyesaw would have been throwing their betting tickets in the rubbish bin when the horse ran off the home-turn when rounding the corner during the last race at Wellington last Thursday. But his talent was on show that day, and when he finally did straighten up, Eyesaw still ran down his rivals in the middle of the track to pinch the race from favourite Bare Foot Girl. 

“He hung super-bad, but he was travelling so well, I thought he still may get up to win,” said the breathless Dubbo-based hoop Kaylee Kickwood. 

Trained by Darren Hyde at Dubbo, Eyesaw gave his owners and breeders Neil and Margaret Johnson of Geurie a thrill, who also bred and raced the six-year-old gelding’s sire Eyeful (by Strategic). 

Eyesaw’s win denied Bare Foot Girl’s champion country jockey Greg Ryan his fifth winner on the program, following four earlier winners aboard Over Time and Starrick for Muswellbrook conditioner Pat Farrell, and Press Review and Galaxy Warrior for Mudgee trainer Gaynor Williams. 

Joy turned to sadness for connections of Bon Hoffa gelding Galaxy Warrior (including breeder Kerry Williams of Wambangalang), who after winning his sixth race and $155,085 in stakes, broke down after the post. 

Apprentice hoop, Wendy Peel – now with Sue Grills at Tamworth, rode her 10th winner on the Wellington program aboard the Cody Morgan prepared I Am You Are. Make that 12 career wins for the apprentice after a double at her home track last Saturday.