August 13th, 2007

The first foal for Golden Slipper winner Stratum arrived at Widden Stud on August 1, a delightful chestnut colt from smart racemare Kepola.

Bred by long time Widden client Robert Anderson, the Stratum colt is the first foal of the Dr Fong (USA) mare Kepola, a metropolitan winner in Melbourne of five races and over $100,000 in prizemoney.  Kepola is from the good producing Danehill (USA) mare Pedante, a close relation of Group One New Zealand Oaks winner She’s Country and Group Three winner Country Lane.

Stratum covered 188 mares in his debut season last spring and is booked out again this year at a fee of $30,250.

As a Golden Slipper winning son of Redoute’s Choice, with his next two dams by legendary Golden Slipper winners Luskin Star and Vain, there is no denying the commercial appeal of Stratum, something astute breeders have been quick to recognize.

September 10th, 2006

At the start of a new racing season, as we await the debut of a new crop of 2YOS, owners and breeders thoughts and dreams turn inevitably to the next Golden Slipper. 

In order to predict the future it is often most efficacious to examine the past, the lessons of history can be most valuable. History, or to be more precise, “racing history” teachers us that the STC Golden Slipper has been the best predictor of future sire success among all the races held in Australia each season. It is a searching test of all the finest qualities of the modern sprinting thoroughbred. 

In the Darwinian sense, the fittest of the species, those that are mature, even tempered, adaptable, fast and tough are the only ones that can win a Slipper.

Such prime examples of the breed should make the best sires. The history of the Slipper indicates that this is indeed so. From its inception in 1957 when Todman was the initial winner before becoming one of Star Kingdom’s leading sire sons, up until recent times, the list of winning colts is very much an honour roll of sire success. Following Todman it is safe to say that Sky High, Pago Pago, Vain, Baguette, John’s Hope, Luskin Star, Marscay, Sir Dapper, Rory’s Jester, Marauding, Star Watch, Canny Lad, Danzero, Flying Spur and Catbird all enjoyed considerable success at stud. Most of them could safely be described as very successful sires, a significant proportion being outstanding.

Widden Stud’s Stratum is the first Golden Slipper winning colt since Catbird (a rising star at stud) in 1999. And what a Slipper studded pedigree Stratum has! NOT ONLY is he by Redoute’s Choice (scratched on Slipper morning when he would almost certainly have been one of the hottest favourites ever) out of a mare by Slipper winner Luskin Star out of a mare by Slipper winner Vain, BUT ALSO his sire who is responsible for the last two Slipper winners (Stratum and Miss Finland) is in turn by Danehill (sire of the already proven sires and Slipper winners Catbird, Flying Spur and Danzero) out of a mare by - you guessed it - Slipper winner Canny Lad. Stratum’s pedigree is Gold! Gold! Gold! 

In fact it is a pedigree without a poor sire anywhere in the first five generations which is quite unusual. The horse himself is a superb individual, which is reflected in the fact that Paul Perry paid $320,000 for him at the 2004 Magic Millions making him the equal top priced lot by his sire at that venue.

He went on to win over $2.2 million in a career that saw him match it with the best sprinters in the country as a 2YO and 3YO. Stratum stands for $30,250 inc. GST at Widden Stud where, as fate would have it in this story, some of the most successful Golden Slipper winning sires such as Marscay and Vain previously held court.

July 2nd, 2006

Stallions continue our look at the new stallions destined for stud. Among them is Stratum.

Stratum will be the fourth Golden Slipper winner to stand at Widden Stud, following in the illustrious hoof steps of Todman, Vain and Marscay, all champion sires in their own right. With that tremendous success alone Stratum is odds-on to do a very good job at Widden where he will not lack for opportunity. 

Stratum has as good as a pedigree as any previous Slipper winner also.

His sire Redoute’s Choice has supplied two successive Golden Slipper winners in only three years of representation with Miss Finland successful earlier this year, and he also sired Fashions Afield, the runner-up last year, his paternal grandsire Danehill has produced five winners of the race. Redoute’s Choice is out of Shantha’s Choice, a daughter of another Slipper winner Canny Lad.

In addition, Stratum’s first two dams are by Slipper winners, his dam Bourgeois is by Luskin Star from Brave New World, a Vain two year-old stakes winner out of Undaunted, by Le Cordonnier. Another good earlier performer by Le Cordonnier was the AJC All-Aged Stakes winner Gilt Pattern, a brother to Undaunted they were from Broadlea, a Sydney-winning sister by Targui to the magnificent weight-for-age performer Lord.

Through his racing career Lord won 28 races including the VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (twice), Queen’s Plate (twice), Craiglee Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Memsie Stakes (four times), Caulfield Stakes (three times), St George Stakes (twice), C F Orr Stakes, Underwood Stakes and AJC All-Aged Stakes.

Deeper into the female line, Broadway was a 1000 Guineas second placegetter and a sister to Victoria Handicap winner Savoy. The family has some illustrious representatives and one of them goes back to Seraph, a mare by one of St Simon’s best sire sons, St Frusquin. Seraph is the third dam of the Sir Gallahad sired brothers Gallant Fox, won America’s Triple Crown of Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes and Fighting Fox, a multiple stakes winner Stratum is a half-brother to four winners including Grand Performance, a winner of three races in Sydney at sprint distances. Stratum retired to Widden after proving sound enough to race on 18 occasions in only 15 months of competition.

Stratum challenged for the honour of being Australasia’s best two-year-old of 2004-05, not only winning the greatest test of juveniles, the Golden Slipper, but impressing in his three previous outings including a second to Snitzel in the Group 3 STC Skyline Stakes and a very good second in the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes. 

Backing up a week later Stratum claimed glory in the Golden Slipper. 

During his three-year-old campaign although Stratum didn’t win he turned in some very good performances in major races picking up seven more stakes cheques to take his career earnings past $2 million.

During the spring Stratum lined up in some of the hottest three-year-old events finishing second in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Bill Stutt Stakes, a fifth in the Group I Caulfield Guineas, third in the Group 3 Rory’s Jester Stakes (L’ Orela Plate) and then a head second to Glamour Puss in the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes (The Age Classic). Later on that season Stratum finished third in Australia toughest sprint, the Group I Newmarket Handicap at Flemington, a race won by Takeover Target with the Group I Oakleigh Plate winner Snitzel in second.

“Stratum retires as the highest stake-earner sired by champion stallion Redoute’s Choice, who dominated the Australian Easter Yearling Sale this year along with the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond Stakes for the second year in a row,” said Antony Thompson.

Redoute’s Choice averaged $710,857 at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale where 35 of his yearlings changed hands, highlighted by six that made over $1 million including the sale-topping colt from Deja Slew (USA) for $3 million.

“Redoute’s Choice has rewritten the record books in terms of sale results and his best progeny are all physically stamped the exact same way, with Stratum a glowing example of what is accepted as the typical ‘Redoute’s Choice type’,” Thompson continued.

Redoute’s Choice is showing all the signs of being as dominant a sire as his father before him, so there is every reason to think that a Golden Slipper winner such as Stratum can continue the success of this phenomenal sireline.

The ‘book full’ sign is already up outside Stratum’s stable door where breeders’ paid $30,250 (inc gst).