Two sons of the Arrowfield, Hunter Valley located Australian champion sire Redoute’s Choice on Saturday added to the conjecture that he will be as great as his sire, deceased world super shuttler Danehill, as a patriarch of a dynasty in Australia.The two Redoute’s Choice sires who stirred the nation through the exploits of their offspring, first crop 2-year-olds, on Saturday are the MRC Oakleigh Plate and AJC Challenge Stakes winner Snitzel, another Arrowfield sire, and the Widden Stud based Golden Slipper winner Stratum.
On Saturday Snitzel moved back to the top of the first season ladder and to second on the main juvenile list when his daughter Chance Bye made it three from three in taking the Silver Slipper, a success that saw her installed as Golden Slipper favourite, and Stratum was the source of the 4.8 lengths winner of the $100,000 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield and of Gannochy, the third placegetter in the Perth juvenile event.
Stratum also had success earlier in the week, being represented by Rose of Scotland, the 3.3 lengths winner of the Magic Million Classic at Tasmania’s Launceston track. He is now fourth leading first season sire on earnings and equal second in the main juvenile statistics by winners, six each, with Snitzel, Redoute’s Choice and General Nediym, the leader by money.
The leading juvenile sire by winners, seven, and top for Queensland by money is another representative of the Danehill male line, the Glenlogan Park based Flying Spur product Jet Spur. His first crop are also 2-year-olds.
Snitzel and Stratum are two of five sons of Redoute’s Choice to get off to promising starts as sires in the current racing year. The others are Bradbury’s Luck (Glenlogan Park), God’s Own (Eliza Park, Kerrie,Vic) and Marmottan (Walnaring, Wallan East, Vic).
Redoute’s Choice had the first racing results from his sire dynasty in 2008-09, a year four of them had first crop winners. These sires are Not a Single Doubt (Arrowfield), Stromberg Carlson (Raheen, Gladfield, Qld), Legion (Larneuk Stud, Euroa, Vic) and the very lightly used deceased Master of Ceremonies (Jelle-Jac Farms, Tatura, Vic).
The two most impressive of them have been Not a Single Doubt, sire to date of 38 individual winners, including 13 first crop 2-year-olds and seven stakes placed, and Stromberg Carlson. Not a Single Doubt had his latest winner when 3-year-old son Tuscan Breeze was successful at Randwick on Friday and the latest promising showing for Stromberg Carlson was a head second by his second crop 2-year-old Random Orbit at Doomben on February 20. He has competed six times for a win and four minor places.
Another of the second season Redoute’s Choice sires to meet with recent success has been Legion, the half-brother to General Nediym in Neville Murdoch’s care at the progressive Larneuk stud at Euroa. His 3-year-old daughter Tad of Class collected her fourth prize cheque in five outings when successful at Ararat in Victoria on Monday. Previous efforts included seconds at Seymour and Echuca and a debut third at Tatura.
Typical of most low service fee sires, restricted in early exposure of his progeny at the races, Legion is starting to get a move on with first crop runners. Another of his daughters, Garter Girl, registered her second win when successful by 2.5 lengths at Pakenham on February 5 and the gelded Shady Grove has won at Morphettville (2.4 lengths December 4) and Strathalbyn (1.9 lengths February 17).
A fourth generation descendant of the celebrated New Zealand broodmare Froth, ancestress of not only General Nediym but also of Group 1 stars Horlicks (won the Japan Cup and top races in Australia and New Zealand), Brew (won the Melbourne Cup), Interstellar (Canterbury Guineas), Fiumcino (AJC Australian Derby, STC H.E Tancred Stakes), Laelia (Adelaide Cup), Laebeel (second Caulfield Cup), Larry’s Never Late (Launceston Cup, third Queensland Derby), Military Plume (VRC Australian Guineas) and Monaco Consul (2009 Victoria Derby, AJC Champion Stakes), Legion has approximately100 possible runners in his first two crops.
