Here’s a good news piece to start your day.
Remember last weekend, Gr 1 Golden Slipper Day? Well, the winner Kiamichi, is by Freshman Sire Sidestep.
Sidestep, himself a Slipper placegetter in his day, is leading the First Season Sires table now and looks to win it if the reports about a couple of other Sidestep babies are anything to go by.
Longbottom is pretty smart, and Team Hayes & Dabernig’s Surreal Step who will win next start, should propel him along.
Anyway, a new farm in Queensland was finished during last year and they needed a stallion. So they approached Godolphin who own Sidestep. He was due to stand at Darley, Godolphin’s breeding arm, but the Qld property and its proprietor, Dan Fletcher, impressed Darley.
So Darley allowed Sidestep to go to this new place called Telemon Thoroughbreds in Qld.
He stood for a fee of $7,700. Then Kiamichi did what she did.
His fee will be $22,000 for this upcoming season, but Darley, even though they wanted to bring him into their fold, has allowed the stallion to stay at Telemon!
It is an unbelievably good deal for the Fletchers.
“It’s such a privilege to be involved with Darley. We share a fairly no-nonsense philosophy, and to be able to offer this horse at a fee where he remains exceptional value, is a huge result for Queensland,” said Fletcher.
Darley’s Alistair Pulford added: “We couldn’t be more delighted to have one of the most exciting young stallions in the country position to work with Queensland mares who are renowned for producing precocious 2-year-olds.”
Now, as Godolphin get set to win both the Gr 1 races on offer at Rosehill on Saturday with Pohutukawa and Avilius, isn’t nice, good, and comforting to know that Big Blue can give a massive helping hand like this to someone?
I loved hearing that Sidestep was staying put in Qld.
