Counterattack

Racing Form

17 runs, five wins, four places | Best Timeform Rating: 119 | Average winning distance: 6.02f

Stakes form

At 2 ATC (Warwick Farm) TAB Place Multi 2YO H. (1200m), 4th BRC Champagne Classic, Gr.2 (1200m), Sires’ Produce S., Gr.2 (1350m)

At 3 BRC Fred Best Classic, Gr.3 (1350m beating Takedown), ATC (Randwick) Heritage S., L (1100m beating Haptic and Takedown), City Tatt’s RC Brian Crowley S., L (1200m beating

Spill the Beans), 2d ATC (Randwick) Arrowfield 3YO Sprint S., Gr.2 (1200m to Japonisme and beating Takedown), 3d VRC Coolmore Stud S., Gr.1 (1200m to Japonisme and Keen Array), ATC (Randwick) Eskimo Prince S., Gr.3 (1200m to Spill the Beans and Le Romain)

At 4 2d BRC Doomben Ten Thousand S., Gr.1 (1200m to Redzel), ATC (Rosehill) Theo Marks S., Gr.2 (1300m to Mackintosh), VRC Tab.com.au S., Gr.2 (1200m to Illustrious Lad), ATC (Randwick) Hall Mark S., Gr.3 (1200m to Redzel), 3d BRC Kingsford-Smith Cup, Gr.1 (1300m to Clearly Innocent and Jungle Edge), 4th BRC Stradbroke H., Gr.1 (1350m)

COUNTERATTACK was a left-field recruit to the German stallion ranks as a sprinting son of Redoute’s Choice, but he offers German breeders an injection of pace and variety of bloodlines.

Bred on the same Redoute’s Choice-Snippets cross as leading Autralian stallion Snitzel, Counterattack is a half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Red Tracer and the Grade 1 James Boag Handicap winner Shellscrape. Counterattack didn’t manage to win a Group 1 during his racing career, but finished a close second in the Group 1 James Boags Premium Doomben 10000 and was successful in the Group 3 Fred Best Classic over 7f.

His sire Redoute’s Choice shuttled to the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval for the 2013 and 2014 northern-hemisphere breeding seasons, while Redoute’s Choice’s son Elzaam is a popular and reliable source of winners at Ballyhane Stud.

As an outcross for the Monsun and In The Wings line stallions that dominate German breeding, Counterattack received strong support both from Gestuet Karlshof and other leading farms.

One of the final winners by the great sire Redoute’s Choice came from a collaboration between the Aga Khan’s farms and Arrowfield Stud, and resulted in the brilliant five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun, who is standing his second season at Arrowfield. He is out of the Galileo mare Azmiyna, which bodes well for the In The Wings line mares in Counterattack’s books.

The stallion’s first book of mares included Aamaa, a Mamool halfsister to Group 3 winner Ashantee, the dam of Group 2 winner Ashiana.

Sexy Hollow, a daughter of Soldier Hollow out of Listed winner Saldennahe, a half-sister to the dam of Preis der Diana (G1) winner Serienholde and Group 3 winner Serienhoehe, was another to visit Counterattack in his first German season.

Okra, the winning daughter of Zamindar and Listed winner and the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes-placed La Vida Loca, from the family of Group 1 winner and sire Recoletos, was also amongst his first mares at Karlshof.

Counterattack is very strongly represented in the BBAG Yearling Sale with 15 members of that first crop catalogued.

Naturally Karlshof sends a strong draft of Counterattack yearlings with Australian Attack, the second foal of Auoterita, a Listed-placed Authorized half-sister to Step By Step, who is a Listed winner in France this year alphabetically first on the list.

Running the gamut of names from A to Z, Karlshof also offers Zapata, who is closely related to Group 3 Grosser Preis von LOTTO winner Zargan. Their dam is a winning daughter of Galileo and the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes and Ramona Handicap winner Janet.

The Counterattack half-brother to No Limit Credit, the Group 3 Karin Baronin von Ullmann Rennen winner by Night Of Thunderp, is part of the Gestuet Ohlerweiherhof draft catalogued in the BBAG sale.

Gestuet Wittekindshof offers a Counterattack half-sister to the Listed winner and Group 2-placed Technobrat out of Listed winner Tech Engine. Her dam is a half-sister to the champion and former sire Tiger Hill.