Leading Australian and international buyers ensured strong demand for yearlings by Redoute’s Choice at the 2014 Inglis Australian Easter Sale which concluded on Thursday.
Twenty-two lots by the champion sire sold for an average price of $380,909, and a median price of $355,000, with eleven yearlings knocked down for $400,000 or more.
Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stud Australasia bought four yearlings by Redoute’s Choice, a group headed by the $800,000 colt out of South African champion National Colour, offered by Arrowfield. Shadwell’s buyer Angus Gold also signed for Highgrove Stud’s much-admired colt from Figmentation ($700,000), Kitchwin Hills’ filly from Vormista ($600,000) and the Absolut Glam filly consigned by Newgate Farm ($450,000).
Shadwell has achieved significant success with previous purchases of yearlings by Redoute’s Choice, including Nadeem (Blue Diamond S. G1), Shaaheq (Blue Diamond Prelude G3; 2nd, Blue Diamond S. G1) and this season’s 2YO Group winner Majmu, bought from Arrowfield’s 2013 Easter draft and trained in South Africa by Mike de Kock.
UK bloodstock agent John Warren signed for three lots by Redoute’s Choice, all from the Arrowfield Stud draft. The colts from Lago Ovation ($500,000) & Panorama Ridge ($440,000) were bought for the China Horse Club, while the filly from Clean Sweep ($310,000) was purchased for Kia Ora Stud’s Ananda Krishnan.
Agent James Harron joined trainer Gai Waterhouse to buy a three-quarter brother to Snitzel for $600,000 from Kitchwin Hills, and Round Table Racing made it a three-way partnership to purchase Arrowfield’s Cat by the Tale colt for $160,000.
Other buyers of Redoute’s Choice yearlings included David Raphael, who bought Widden Stud’s Fleeting Touch colt for $600,000, trainer Peter Moody, owner Eric Koundouris and bloodstock agents Damon Gabbedy & Sheamus Mills (Australia), Dermot Farrington (Ireland), Andy Williams (South Africa) and Dean Hawthorne (New Zealand).
That Redoute’s Choice continues to attract such interest is no surprise when his lifetime and 12-month records are examined.
In the past year Redoute’s Choice has been represented by 15 stakeswinners worldwide, 12 of them Group winners and three (Lankan Rupee, Wylie Hall & Royal Descent) successful at Group 1 level.
In the past two years he has managed the rare feat of improving his lifetime statistics in every key category: Stakeswinners/Foals (9.3%), Stakeswinners/Runners (11.9%), Stakes Performers/Foals (16.6%), Stakes Performers/Runners (21.2%) and Average Earnings per Runner ($108,064).
His newest rival in all categories is his sensational son Snitzel who, with only five crops of racing age, has headed the Australian General Sires’ list since last October. Snitzel generated outstanding Easter Sale returns for vendors,with 11 lots sold for an average price of $351,818
– 14 times his 2012 fee of $25,000 +GST.
