Date posted July 5, 2009 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
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Redoute's Choice AUSTRALIA’S two leading stallions combined to provide Aussie breeders with their latest international success, with two-year-old colt Musir winning the Group 1 Golden Horseshoe (1400m) in South Africa overnight.
Musir is by Redoute’s Choice from the stakes placed Encosta de Lago mare Dizzy De Lago. The two-year-old colt was bred and retained to race by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa al Maktoum, who offered him for sale through the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where he was passed in at $900,000.
Musir is the 54th stakes winner and 15th individual Group 1 winner for Arrowfield Stud’s Redoute’s Choice (Danehill - Shantha’s Choice by Canny Lad).
Encosta de Lago is on target to claim his second straight Australian General Sires title and the Fairy King stallion is now starting make a name for himself as a broodmare sire.
From limited runners, Musir is among 52 individual winners out of mares by Encosta de Lago and
Musir is the first Group 1 winner bred on this cross. The Coolmore stallion also featured in the results in South Africa last week, as the sire of Group 2 winner Dan de Lago (ex The Golden Dane by Danehill).
The Golden Horseshoe was a triumph for Australian breeders, who were represented by three runners in the race.
In addition to the winner, Exceed and Excel’s son Exclaim’N’Exclude (ex Punchess by Two Punch) finished third, with another son of Redoute’s Choice, Solid Choice (ex Venetian Pride by Gone West), in fourth position.
“With only a small pool of Australian horses in South Africa, to provide three of the first four across the line in one of their major Group 1 races is an outstanding achievement,” Aushorse Marketing Chairman Antony Thompson said.
“The reputation of Australian horses in being fast, tough and precocious continues to grow at a rapid rate and it is now a well known fact around the world. This is just the latest example.”
Musir is the latest Australian export added to the fast growing list of international success stories. Just last month Scenic Blast continued the Australian dominance of the G1 King’s Stand Stakes and the son of Scenic will attempt to add the G1 July Cup when he runs at Newmarket on Friday night this week (July 10).
South Africa is proving a happy hunting ground for Australian-breds, with Musir joining the likes of Le Drakkar (a G1 winner earlier this season), Our Giant, Seventh Rock and SunClassique on the Group 1 honour roll.
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