ARROWFIELD Stepping outside the square has been part of Arrowfield’s DNA from the beginning. Founded in 1985 by a Sydney stockbroker who had to build the farm from the ground up, Arrowfield soon attracted attention for doing things differently. Danehill, the stallion shuttle and the reverse shuttle, Chile’s Champion Sire Hussonet and a series of global breeding partnerships are all among the pioneering projects pursued by Arrowfield and John Messara over the past four decades. The rewards for yearling buyers have been spectacular, which is why Arrowfield tops the Australian Vendors Black Type Premiership across the past three seasons.
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The Stud’s boldest move was in 1998, when it sent the first Australian mares to be mated with Sunday Silence in Japan. The timing was exquisite: Japanese racehorses were just beginning to make a global impact and Sunday Silence had just won the third of his 13 stallion premierships. The results included 7 yearlings sold for more than $1 million, among them Arrowfield’s Group 1-winning Magic Millions graduate Sunday Joy, dam of Champion More Joyous. A quarter-century later, Japanese horses have won the big 3 (Cox Plate, Melbourne & Caulfield Cups) and this season’s $10 million Golden Eagle among several major Australian races.
