6 minute read
Arrowfield
from 2024 MMGC Magazine
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.
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.
Sunday Silence appears in the pedigrees of 15 Australian sires, three of them on Arrowfield’s roster, and three bred and sold by Arrowfield at Magic Millions: Group 1 winners Hitotsu and Tagaloa, and Group winner Anders.
The 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale is a milestone in Arrowfield’s ever-evolving Japanese project because it marks the return of Hitotsu’s sire Maurice to the Australian yearling market and the first Australian yearlings by Japan’s Champion 2YO Admire Mars.
Maurice’s first 21 Australian stakes performers (12 of them Arrowfield graduates) have emerged from only 145 runners. The size and quality of his current yearling crop reflect his growing status as a leading sire with a strong affinity for mares by Danehill’s sons and grandsons.
No surprise that most of Arrowfield’s dozen Magic Millions yearlings by Maurice are bred that way, including the first two lots highlighted by Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer and Sales Manager Sally Gordon: Lot 59, Maurice-Princess Charlotte filly - “A lovely quality filly from a great family, bred on the successful Maurice/Redoute’s Choice cross and thriving in the prep.”
Lot 462, Maurice-Bandol colt - “Cast in the same mould as his sire, he’s from a fast Snitzel mare, is well-balanced and looks tough.”
By Sunday Silence’s Champion son Daiwa Major, Admire Mars offers a fresh take on Japanese breeding, as a specialist miler and unbeaten in four starts at two, including the Hanshin Asahi Hai Futurity S. G1.
He did even better at three, winning the Tokyo NHK Mile Cup G1 in a sizzling 1:32.4 and becoming the only 3YO to claim the Hong Kong Mile G1, defeating multiple Group 1 winners Waikuku, Beauty Generation, Indy Champ and Zaaki.
Lot 399, Admire Mars-Adamina filly“A very racy filly from a sharp Snitzel mare. She has a lot of her sire’s qualities.”
Lot 856, Admire Mars-Legend Emma filly - “An excellent first foal and very typical of the Admire Mars progeny.”
They are now thoroughly entrenched on the leading sires list, but multiple Champion Sire Snitzel and barnmate Dundeel were calculated risks for Arrowfield when they went to stud. The rewards for buyers and breeders have been bountiful and both continue to compile imposing statistics.
Snitzel added 12 new stakeswinners, including his second Golden Slipper G1 winner Shinzo, and a fourth 2YO Sires’ title to his extraordinary record in 2022/23. He also celebrates 12 stakes-siring sons - six of them bred and sold by Arrowfield. In fact, more than 40% of Snitzel’s Group 1 winners are Arrowfield graduates.
Lot 460, Snitzel-Azila colt - “A gorgeous colt with a lot of quality and a great attitude.”
Lot 775, Snitzel-Iffranesia colt - “Lovely strong type with a really good shoulder, great forearm, girth and hip.”
Dundeel made his first appearance among Australia’s top 10 sires in 2022/23, thanks to his third 2YO Group 1 winner Militarize (also winner of the Golden Rose G1), Derby winner Dunkel and Group-winning mare Hope In Your Heart. Add Melbourne Spring Group winners Sunsets (also Dundeel’s 19th Group 1 performer) and Ain’tnodeeldun, plus Group 1-placed trio Miracle Of Love, Tannhauser and Townsend, and Dundeel’s Autumn is set to be lively.
Lot 461, Dundeel-Baaqyah colt - “He’s always been a classy colt, beautifully balanced and athletic.”
Lot 570, Dundeel-Deepwood Vale colt“Excellent first foal from a Redoute’s Choice mare, with loads of quality, good bone, length and scope.”
As a Champion 3YO Colt and the last masterpiece of Arrowfield legend Redoute’s Choice, The Autumn Sun was a natural fit for the roster and he has attracted outstanding support from the start. Six stakes performers, including Group winners Autumn Ballet and Autumn Angel (both purchased from Arrowfield), among his first 48 runners have already lit up The Autumn Sun’s path to greatness.
Lot 734, The Autumn Sun-Grisi colt“A precocious, well-muscled colt who looks early like his full sister dual Group winner Autumn Ballet.”
Lot 305, The Autumn Sun-Time Check colt - “A ready-made racehorse, he’s a nice mover with a lovely strong profile and three winning siblings including Group-placed Willinga Beast”.
Like The Autumn Sun and Admire Mars, Castelvecchio is that rare colt who won at Group 1 level at two and three. His first crop 2YOs are in major Sydney and Melbourne stables and he offers an obvious option for broodmare sires and lines that have already worked with his sire Dundeel.
Lot 329, Castelvecchio-Valley of Light colt - “Another quality colt from this mare, and bred on the same cross as Militarize. A handsome colt with a great attitude.”
Lot 383, Castelvecchio-Zelrosa filly“A sharp filly very much in the mould of her sire, well-muscled, racy and ready to run.”
Jon Freyer adds, “We’re also looking forward to presenting the first yearling out of Champion mare Arcadia Queen, a colt by Champion Sire I Am Invincible. He’s a magnificent, big, bold individual with real presence and charisma like his mother. We feel he bodes well for her broodmare career.”
