The principal Australian feature this past weekend was the Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes, a race won by the great sire Redoute’s Choice in 1999.
Redoute’s Choice – a great influence
Redoute’s Choice sons and daughters made a considerable impact in various Australian features this weekend.
His greatest sire son, to date, Snitzel is the sire of Saturday’s Gr1 Oakleigh Plate 1-2 finishers Russian Revolution and Snittty Kitty, another son, Not A Single Doubt, is responsible for Gr2 Angus Armanasco winner Summer Sham, and Redoute’s Choice daughter Savannah Choice featured as the dam of Gr3 Zeditave Stakes winner Overshare.
Redoute’s Choice, whose daughters have done very well when mated to Lonhro, is also damsire of Lonhro’s very promising son Kementari – winner of Saturday’s Gr2 Chandon S Chic Hobartville Stakes.
The influence of the triple Australian champion sire Redoute’s Choice continues to be felt, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
Now 22 years old, and nearing the end of a wonderful stud career, Redoute’s Choice’s influence continues to spread, both as a sire of sires and as an increasingly important broodmare sire.
A sire of over 150 stakes winners (over 100 of which are group/graded stakes winners), Redoute’s Choice is in the news currently as the broodmare sire of young Australian sire sensation Zoustar (Northern Meteor). The latter is currently their Leading First Crop Sire by money, with his daughter Sunlight having captured the Magic Millions 2Yo Classic –a race worth $2 000 000. Sunlight also won Saturday’s Gr2 TAB Silver Slipper beating a granddaughter of Redoute’s Choice into second place.
The Redoute’s Choice factor is well felt on the Australian First Crop Sires List. His champion son Snitzel is responsible for Sizzling (currently fourth on the list), while Galah (by Redoute’s Choice) is currently in eighth spot on the log.
A dual Gr1 winner – he won both the Golden Rose and Coolmore Stud Stakes – Zoustar is also currently heading the Australian Leading Sires of 2YOs list.
Ektifaa wins the 2016 Choice Carriers Championship
Redoute’s Choice’s influence as a broodmare sire, however, is not restricted to Zoustar. To date, he features as maternal grandsire of more than 20 group winners, including seven Gr1 winners. He is also broodmare sire of talented former SA filly Ektifaa (More Than Ready), winner of the 2016 Gr2 Choice Carriers Fillies Championship and current smart Mike Azzie filly San Fermin.
His latest star representative as a broodmare sire is the David Payne trained Ace High (High Chaparral). He was victorious in both the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes and Gr1 Victoria Derby in 2017 and has banked over AUS$1.4 million. He will certainly be popular when he retires to stud. Ace High, whose third dam is former high class South African racemare Lady’s Delight (Local Talent), hails from the same family as Danehill, sire of Redoute’s Choice.
Redoute’s Choice is currently third on the Leading Broodmare Sires list for 2017-2018, having already been represented as the maternal grandsire of six stakes winners this season.
A triple champion sire in Australia, Redoute’s Choice is also sire of last season’s Australian Champion Sire Snitzel, who once again heads the Sires List this season. Snitzel, whose Gr1 winning son Heavenly Blue was a late scratching from the 2018 Gr1 Sun Met, is enjoying a superb season, thanks in part to son Redzel winning the $10 000 000 The Everest, that he is nearly AUS$7 million clear on the General Sires List!
The extent of Snitzel’s success can be gauged by the fact his stud fee ($176 000) is higher than both his own sire and such stand out shuttler sires as Exceed And Excel, More Than Ready and Medaglia D’Oro.
Carry On Alice – visits Sniitzel thiis year
His mates this year will include multiple South African champion and five time Gr1 winner Carry On Alice (Captain Al).
Redoute’s Choice is also sire of successful stallions Stratum and Not A Single Doubt, with the latter recently having clocked up his 50th black type winner as a sire.
The dominance of Redoute’s Choice Down Under is such that 119 yearlings in the upcoming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale are descended in male line from him. His maternal grandson Zoustar is responsible for another 13 on the sale.
A four time Gr1 winner – and from the same family as SA sires Northern Guest and Pathfork- Redoute’s Choice is no stranger to South Africa.
His offspring have enjoyed massive success in South Africa, with his best including Equus Champions Majmu, Musir and Mustaaqeem, and fellow Gr1 winners Rafeef (Computaform Sprint) and Wylie Hall (SA Derby, Champions Challenge).
Both Rafeef and Wylie Hall are now at stud (Musir having proved to be infertile), while Redoute’s Choice’s multiple Gr1 winning daughter Majmu is set to visit Frankel in 2018.
.Redoute’s Choice son Time Thief
Other sons of Redoute’s Choice include Redoute’s Promise, whose first crop race this season, and Gr1 Caulfield Guineas runner up Time Thief. The latter, like Wylie Hall, is represented by his first local yearlings in 2018.
While much of the credit for Redoute’s Choice can be laid at the door of his outstanding sire Danehill, it should not be forgotten that he was produced by a truly exceptional broodmare in the form of Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad).
Whisky Baron wins Sun Met – son of Manhattan Rain
The latter, who produced nine winners from ten runners, is not only dam of Redoute’s Choice but also produced fellow Gr1 winners Manhattan Rain (Sires Produce Stakes) and Platinum Scissors (Spring Champion Stakes), and Manhattan Rain has since gone on to enjoy success at stud – his offspring include 2017 Gr1 Sun Met winner Whisky Baron and Golden Slipper winning filly She Will Reign.
Shantha’s Choice is also granddam of Gr2 Schillaci Stakes winner and promising sire Rubick (Encosta De Lago) and Gr1 Empire Rose Stakes winner Shoals (Fastnet Rock). The above mentioned Summer Sham is inbred to Shantha’s Choice, being sired by a son of Redoute’s Choice and out of a granddaughter of the mighty mare.
