September 23rd, 2007

STALLIONS continues our series of profiles on horses beginning stud duties this spring.

Among them is the brilliant Redoute's Choice horse, Nadeem.

It's staggering to think Redoute's Choice only began his stud career in 2000, and has already produced 12 group one winners including two Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond winners.

On a day when the track went from good to heavy within an hour, the sons and daughters of Redoute's Choice took it all in their stride, producing the goods with a Group I double the Oakleigh Plate with Snitzel and the Blue Diamond Stakes with Nadeem.

The Blue Diamond result was the second career win for the good-looking Nadeem, after settling well back in the race. Nadeem and jockey Dwayne Dunn, were tripping over the heels of other runners to get into the race. But once they did, they put the result of the first juvenile Group One of the season beyond doubt. Dunn regained the colts balance, racing out wide he made his run charging to gather in his rivals and take the Group I by a widening 2-1/4 lengths.

Nadeem's dam, Candide (by Sound Reason), was a high-class racemare winning five races two at the highest level the Group I New Zealand Oaks at Trentham and the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton. Her other black-type victory came in the Group 2 Great Northern Oaks at Ellerslie. Candide travelled to Australia where she finished third in the Group I Caulfield Stakes behind Sky Chase and the AJC Oaks behind Savana City a few days after finishing fourth behind Beau Zam in the 1988 AJC Derby.

Candide has been successful in the breeding barn producing 12 foals with seven of them getting to the track for six winners. Along with Nadeem she has left Billion Win (by Coronation Day) who won 11 races in Hong Kong including the Group I Stewards' Cup and the Group 3 Sha Tin Trophy.

Nadeem's grandam, Country Flower, by Oncidium, never won a race in New Zealand, however she is a three-quarter sister-in-blood to the stakes placed Free Enterprise and a half-sister to the stakes winners Have A Fling and Conor. Her record at stud is a lot better than her racetrack career being the dam of the stakes winning full sisters Candide and Sound Lover who in turn is the dam of the handy young stayer's Philosophe, winner of the Group 2 AJC Chairman's Quality Handicap and the stakes placed Men at Work, both are by Zabeel.

Nadeem joins the Darley roster in New South Wales and his fee has been set at $33,000.00 (inc gst).