Marchfield – a looker
Moutonshoek’s exciting young sire Marchfield was represented by his first winner when his 2yo son Field Of Courage won the first race at Woodbine last Sunday.
Hailing from his sire’s first crop, Field Of Courage pulled clear to score a comfortable two length success in a maiden plate over 1670m on Woodbine’s polytrack surface.
Like Marchfield himself, Field Of Courage is trained by leading Canadian conditioner Mark Casse.
The colt is out of Bold ‘n Flashy mare Miss Crissy, a four time stakes winner who earned over $400 000 in prize money.
Marchfield was an exceptional racehorse, who raced sound from two to five. Canada’s Champion Older Male on two occasions, Marchfield earned over $1 million in prize money, and won or placed in no fewer than nine stakes races.
One of over 150 stakes winners representing dual US Champion sire A P Indy, the impeccably bred Marchfield is out of Canadian Broodmare Of The Year Pico Teneriffe.
From an outstanding female line, responsible for such successful sires as Harlan’s Holiday, Cryptoclearance, Boldnesian and the very promising Equiano, Marchfield’s first three dams are by legendary stallions Red Ransom, Mr Prospector and Northern Dancer.
Popular in his first South African season in 2014, Marchfield’s first book of local mares included the proven stakes producers Joy Of Spring, Miracle Maiden, Sharp Ledge, Streak To Fame, and Timeless Melody, to name but a few.
Marchfield relocated to South Africa in 2013 after being bought by Moutonshoek Stud.
He originally retired to the Park Stud in Orangeville, Ontario in 2011, having raced for his breeder Eugene Melnyk.
Marchfield was an exceptional racehorse, who raced sound from two to five. Canada’s Champion Older Male on two occasions, Marchfield earned over $1 million in prize money, and won or placed in no fewer than nine stakes races.
A graded stakes winner on turf and Polytrack, Marchfield’s biggest success came as a 4 and 5yo, earning Champion Canadian older horse honours in both seasons by landing races such as the 2008 G2 Autumn Stakes and the 2009 G2 Sky Classic Stakes, as well as the Gr3 Dominion Day Handicap.
On purchase, both Chris Gerber and his partner in Moutonshoek, veterinarian Bennie Van Der Merwe stressed that they had carefully studied Marchfield’s first book of Canadian mares, as well as looked closely at his first foals and yearlings to be confident that his brief North American stud career would enhance his standing with South African breeders.
“The one thing we didn’t want to do was stand a stallion who was regarded as a failure elsewhere, said Van Der Merwe.
“For us, this is like standing a freshman sire. From a South African perspective, you don’t have to tell anybody about A.P. Indy’s standing as a sire of sires in North America. And compared to some other countries, we have no problem at all that he was a two-turn horse. He ran on grass and Polytrack, which also fits our breeders’ needs. He is from a quality family and the Roberto line has done very well worldwide as broodmare sires and particularly well in this country
Marchfield stands for a 2014 stud fee of R25 000
