Arrowfield Stud

In 1998, well before the rest of the world realised what Japanese breeders were achieving, Arrowfield sent the first of 31 mares to Japan’s breed-shaper Sunday Silence. A year later John Messara purchased 50 per cent of Teeley Assets’ sensational home-bred colt Redoute’s Choice.

It’s fair to say that local responses were mixed. Surely Arrowfield didn’t need a third son of Danehill, after Danzero & Flying Spur? And Sunday Silence might be great in Japan, but what influence could he ever exert on international breeding & racing?

Bold decisions make big impacts

REAL IMPACT

Time has confirmed the prescience of both decisions. Three-time Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice is ranked among the world’s very best stallions, and a dominant sire of sires and broodmares.

Arrowfield hasn’t missed yet with a sire son of Redoute’s Choice and launches his Group-winning rock star son Scissor Kick in the Magic Millions marketplace with four colts and three fillies.

Paul Messara

THE FIRST-CROP YEARLINGS BY ARROWFIELD’S YOUNG SIRES REAL IMPACT AND SCISSOR KICK ARE LONG-TERM RESULTS OF A COUPLE OF DARING INVESTMENTS THE STUD MADE TWO DECADES AGO.

Arrowfield General Manager Paul Messara knows Scissor Kick particularly well, as he also trained him for double Group 3 success and a memorable Golden Rose G1 second. He picks out Lot 553, the Esprit Hi colt as very much in the mould of his sire. “He’s a lovely colt, with plenty of size and scope, and attractively marked like dad.”

Scissor Kick

The Sunday Silence project delivered 7 million-dollar yearlings and Group 1 winner Sunday Joy, dam of champion More Joyous. Sunday Silence’s pre-eminent son Deep Impact now heads a universally respected 21st Century Japanese breeding industry.

More importantly, Arrowfield’s long-standing relationships with the Yoshida family and Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm have opened up opportunities for Australian breeders that were not dreamed of 20 years ago.

Real Impact put himself up as the first son of Deep Impact to stand in Australia with a superlative ATC George Ryder S. G1 victory in 2015, on top of his history-making Yasuda Kinen G1 success as a three-year-old. He has seven colts and 7 fillies in Arrowfield’s Magic Millions consignment.

Paul highlights the Real Impact-Timeless Choice colt, Lot 231, as “a strong, athletic type, with a great hindquarter and strong through the shoulder.”

Arrowfield’s 2019 MMGC draft includes full siblings to Golden Slipper winner Estijaab, South African Champion 2YO Colt Mustaaqeem and Group 1-winning mare Secret Agenda.

Estijaab

Mustaaqeem

Lot 443, Real Impact’s daughter out of Cat by the Tale is also powerfully made, “a compact filly that looks like an early type.”

A busy parade schedule is guaranteed for the 18 yearlings by multiple champion sires Snitzel and Redoute’s Choice, and leading sire Not A Single Doubt, as well as colts by Deep Impact and Japan’s Champion First Season Sire of 2017, Lord Kanaloa.

Paul reports that Lot 63, the Snitzel-Response filly, is put together much like her full sister Champion 2YO Estijaab, and Lot 853, the Not A Single Doubt-Negotiate filly is “a fast sprinting type, like her sister Group 1 winner Secret Agenda.”

Buyers won’t miss Lot 839, the Redoute’s Choice-Mount Zero filly either. “She’s outstanding, the kind of high quality filly that Redoute’s Choice is famous for.”

Seven colts and a filly represent six-time Group 1 winner Dundeel whose first 17 winners include 2YO Group winner Irukandji and Group-placed 3YO Dealmaker.

Lot 535, the Dual Star colt is “a forward type of Dundeel, he’s an August foal with plenty of substance.”

With 18 winners from his first-crop European two-year-olds on the board, including French stakeswinner Watch Me, champion sprinter-miler Olympic Glory has four colts and four fillies in Arrowfield’s draft.

Lot 295, the colt out of Wingstack will appeal to buyers as “a racy and athletic Magic Millions type.”

Which particular yearling in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price and what did you put it down to afterwards?

Last year’s Lord Kanaloa-Adempiamo filly, bought for $800,000 by Paul Perry, was a big surprise to me at the time, because she’s by a young Japanese stallion that hasn’t shuttled to Australia. It’s a good indication of buyers’ respect for Japan’s racing and breeding, and the international quality of horses like Lord Kanaloa and Real Impact.

What are the main factors you take into account when planning matings?

Firstly, the physical qualities of each mare and stallion, then the type of horse the mare has thrown in the past and the pedigree match most likely to produce the best racing prospect. Only after that do we consider the likely commercial value of each mating. Breeding a superior racehorse is always our number one goal.

Who is the biggest influence in your life? My father.

What can buyers expect from your 2019 MMGC draft?

The best results of a sustained effort by every member of our team over the past three years to plan the right matings, provide the best possible care and handling for our mares and foals, rear our young horses to be racehorses and then offer them in the Magic Millions ring where we’ve sold Group 1 winners such as Sweet Idea, Secret Agenda, Invader, Sunday Joy, Fashions Afield & Nothin’ Leica Dane. l

Secret Agenda

www.arrowfield.com.au

Paul Messara: 0438 248 258

Jon Freyer: 0408 583 888

Sally Gordon: 0421 080 021

Scone, NSW