Aussie sprinter left the toffs in his wake
IN the 59.68 seconds it took to run the 2003 King’s Stand Stakes-Gr.2 (5f), Choisir certainly demolished a few reputations.

The then-three year-old gave weight and age to his rivals and made a mockery of his 25/1 starting price to become the first Australian-bred and trained winner at Royal Ascot - and while the humble pie must have stuck in the neck of quite a few of his British detractors after this superb effort, even they had to agree that his next start, just a week later, confirmed he was a world class sprinter.

That came in the Golden Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1 (6f) at Royal Ascot on June 21, when Choisir flew down the straight course to break the track record, running 1:12.23 to land a superb double for trainer Paul Perry.

In his two English starts, taking little more than two minutes on the track, Choisir, a chestnut son of Coolmore shuttler Danehill Dancer (IRE) and Great Selection by Lunchtime (GB), had achieved more for the Australian breeding industry than any other thoroughbred.

His success made people around the world sit up and take notice, and it prompted John Magnier’s thoroughbred colossus Coolmore to offer $12m for the young stallion who would have one more run in the UK for a brave second in the July Cup-Gr.1 (6f) at Newmarket on July 10 before heading back home and the stallion barn at Coolmore ’s Hunter Valley property.

Like so many of the best Australian thoroughbreds, Choisir’s story begins with a filly who was a “cull” from a major English stud.
The yearling filly, originally named Transparent (Syndrian-Aspic by Polymelus), was offered at the 1927 Newmarket July Sales by Solly Joel’s Maiden Erlegh Stud and made just 85 guineas to Mr R. Brendon in NSW who promptly shipped her home and changed her name to Cohesion.

Her sire and dam had met a similar fate, Aspic sold at the 1926 December Sales, fetching 780 guineas to a NZ-based buyer (where she would produce several good winners including Great Northern Oaks winner Icing and the dam of NZ Derby winner Idaho), while Syndrian was sold to a small stud in Sussex.

Aspic’s fifth dam is the 1858 English Oaks and 1000 Guineas winner Governess (Chatham-Laurel Mare by Laurel) whose half-sister Rhedycina also won the Oaks (family 8f).
Cohesion was no use for racing and she found herself in the broodmare band of Mr H.S. Thompson, NSW, and covered by Silvius (GB) in 1928, when just a two year-old. She delivered dead twins in 1929 and was not covered.
Her foal of 1931 was the filly Adhere (by Spearhead), and the following year she foaled a colt by Heroic who would race as Valiant Chief and win races like the Linlithgow Stakes, C.M. Lloyd Stakes and Memsie Stakes before a career at stud where his runners included 1947 AJC Derby winner Valiant Crown.

More barren years and a dead foal followed before Cohesion died, aged 11. However, her only daughter Adhere would have more luck as a producer with her runners including the City Tatt’s Cup dead-heater Billposter and AJC Doncaster Handicap winner Prelate.
Her daughter Stayput (Avalanche (GB)), who is the fifth dam of Choisir, also became a good producer with her best runner being the 1958 AJC Flight Stakes winner Straightlaced (by Jambo (GB)).

This mare produced the Christmas Cup winner Staid (also fourth in the AJC Oaks) to the handsome but unsound Minor Portion (IRE) (Major Portion-Light Comment by Borealis), whose two wins for the Jeremy Tree stable were the Blue Riband Trial at three and City and Suburban Handicap at four and who was also handy enough to run fifth in the English 2000 Guineas (to Baldric) and fourth in the Eclipse Stakes (to Ragusa).

A good sire, especially of fillies for Widden Stud, Minor Portion’s runners included Golden Slipper heroine Fairy Walk and Oaks winner Sufficient.
Although she didn’t produce a stakes performer, six of Staid’s nine foals won including the Biscay filly Pensive Mood, second dam of Choisir.

In the ownership of the Bath family’s Bhima Stud, who stood her champion sire, a son of Star Kingdom (IRE), this winner of four races from 1000m-1600m visited the Dewhurst Stakes-Gr.1 winner Lunchtime (GB) (Silly Season-Great Occasion by Hornbeam) at Widden in her first season at stud in 1989 to produce the filly Great Selection, a $9500 buy at the 1992 Sydney Summer Yearling Sale for Windermere Farm’s Ross Daisley.

“The sprinting division has been crying out for a star and little did anyone expect it to come from thousands of miles away.”
Trainer Paul Perry said: “Tuesday was unbelievable, but this is something special. It was stunning. He drew the bad alley and worked across. Anyone in racing knows what a prestigious meeting it is. This is a great thrill. I think he is capable of anything, he’s a very smart colt.

“He should have the best record. He should have won five Gr.1s, the Golden Slipper and all that, but the week before the Slipper everything went wrong. Johnny said ‘leave him here and he’ll win everything’. We will have to talk about it. He’s supposed to go into quarantine.

“That’s probably it for him until Hong Kong, or we could have one more go at the July Cup. Watching the race I thought she (Airwave) might pick him up but we seemed to have her measure. He went back to Newmarket on Tuesday and came back down today. I think that run on Tuesday just put an edge on him.”
Jockey Murtagh said: “Choisir is a big, strong tank of a horse. He is tough and genuine and he loves this fast ground. From the 20 stall I knew I had to jump out and let him drift, but he has great speed and I was sure a furlong and a half out that nothing would catch us.”
Royal Ascot spokesman Nick Smith described Choisir’s successes as “one of the greatest achievements in international racing. To win two championship events is unheard of, it’s simply fantastic. We’ve never seen a horse like Choisir here.”

Aushorse chairman John Messara said, “Choisir has done more to advertise the Australian bred horse than any amount of advertising we could do. It was a wonderful achievement by all concerned and we hope this success will encourage others to have a go.”
In any event, Choisir remained in training in England for one more run, the Darley July Cup-Gr.1 (6f) at Newmarket on July 10 and was gallant in defeat, going down by 1.5 lengths to Oasis Dream (who received six pounds from the runner-up) with a neck to Airwave in third in 1:09.94.
Again the result was summed up by the form analysts at Racing Post, “Choisir had the plum draw and afer flying the gates was soon dominating on the far rail, but Richard Hughes soon managed to manoeuvre Oasis Dream into a very good position, despite his draw in stall 11, and he was always going nicely, with the leader in his sights.
“Hughes moved Oasis Dream up to challenge with two furlongs still to go, but it was nip and tuck until well inside the final furlong and a closer race than the eventual margin suggests, although Oasis Dream was nicely on top at the finish. Oasis Dream had clearly come on a lot since the King’s Stand, where he was burdened by his Gr.1 penalty, and the return to the minimum distance for races like the Nunthorpe and the Prix de l’Abbaye is not a serious worry, especially with Choisir no longer around.
“Choisir was said to have become worked up when replated and was certainly among the hottest in the paddock on a day when it was admittedly perfectly understandable that horses should sweat up. Connections were not offering that as an excuse for his defeat, and he may well have been beaten fair and square. But there is just a chance that following the 19-day break he was not quite the horse he was at Royal Ascot, although we will never know for sure.”
Choisir, with his sale to Coolmore finalised, was soon winging his way back to the Hunter valley and covered 158 mares in his first southern season for 115 live foals.
Those first southern foals are now yearlings, and the 20 sold at the select sessions of the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January averaged $117,125 with one colt (ex Markka) making $400,000 to the bid of Gai Waterhouse.
His youngsters have also been well received in the northern hemisphere (he shuttles to Coolmore in Ireland) where his weanlings sold to £64,000 at the Goffs November Sale in 2005.

Choisir has a pedigree chock full of speed, and although there is no inbreeding in five generations, his sire’s four crosses of Native Dancer make Choisir likely to suit further returns to that horse, perhaps via Mr. Prospector (who does well with Danehill) or mares carrying Godswalk (USA) in their pedigrees.
Mares by Snippets (a son of Lunchtime) could prove interesting, as could those by Canny Lad (a son of Bletchingly out of a Lunchtime mare), Semipalatinsk (USA), Kenmare (FR) and Sir Tristram (IRE) and his sons.

Choisir’s 2005 fee at Coolmore was $30,250, and I for one have little doubt it will soon increase when his runners get to the track, he seems certain to get talented juveniles who will train on. If they are anything like Dad, we are in for a treat.

Like her sire she showed form at two, winning one race and placing three times from four starts in Sydney, but she failed in seven starts the following season and was promptly retired to stud by her Hawkesbury-based owner. She was covered by Zephyr Zip (NZ), producing the handy sprinting filly Supermarket (eight wins) in 1995, described by her breeder as “a chunky little thing” and sold as a yearling for just $3000.

Next came the non-winning filly Great Chic (Prince of Birds (USA)) in 1996 - she bowed a tendon but was retained by Ross Daisley; then Danny Dancer (Danehill Dancer (IRE)), a city winner of five races and $90,000 who was also retained by his breeder after failing a vet test for a sale to Hong Kong, in 1998 and his brother Choisir in 1999. He was her final live foal and Great Selection died in 2001.

Choisir, who was foaled on September 18, 1999, was born at the Daisley family’s Windermere Farm and raised at Harvey Woodhouse’s Amber Park Stud, at Kulnura.

Ross sent him to Alabama Stud for his sale prep and he was offered as Lot 409 at the 2001 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, selling to the bid of Broadmeadow-based trainer Paul Perry for $55,000. Perry would race the colt with his wife Chlorene and great friends Terry and Helen Wallace.
Choisir’s sire Danehill Dancer (IRE) (Danehill (IRE)-Mira Adonde by Sharpen Up) was a very good juvenile in Ireland, winning the National Stakes-Gr.1 (7f) and Phoenix Stakes-Gr.1 (6f) and finishing runner-up in the Dewhurst Stakes-Gr.1 and although owned by Coolmore, he stood initially for Collingrove, shuttling from 1997 and beginning his first northern season in 1998.

He stood at a modest fee initially and around $5000 would have secured a nom in his early years (his 2005 fee at Coolmore, Jerrys Plains was $35,750) but gradually his reputation as a sire began to rise and he was Champion First Crop Sire in Great Britain in 2001 while his Australian runners included the champion mare Private Steer (12 wins including the AJC Doncaster Handicap, QTC Stradbroke Handicap, AJC All-Aged Stakes, all Gr.1), Alister Clarke Stakes-Gr.2 winner Lieutenant and Gr.3 winner Jar Jar Binks. His European runners are led by Gr.1 winner Where or When.

Danehill Dancer’s third dam is the dual Gr.1 winner and Champion European Sprinter Lianga (Dancer’s Image-Leven Ones by Sailor) and he is inbred 5f,5fx4m,5m to Native Dancer (via Natalma (2), Atan and Dancer’s Image).
Danehill (by Danzig), Choisir’s grandsire, was also a Gr.1-winning sprinter and a champion sire in both hemispheres with runners as varied as his five Golden slipper winners to classic winners in England, Ireland and Australia among 70 Gr.1 winners.

Choisir had his first start on September 22, 2001 when officially two years and three days old and collected the Listed Breeders’ Plate (1000m) at Randwick from Obsession and Snowland, coming from well back to win.

He was back on track on December 29 when beaten a half-length by Blur over 1100m and was then second again on January 12, also 1100m, before collecting the $300,000 first prize for the Inglis 2YO Classic (1200m) at Randwick, beating Pillaging and Mukareena.

He held his form next start on March 2 with a 1.5 length win in the Skyline Stakes-Gr.3 (1200m) at Rosehill from Emerging Star, with Charlie Bub 5.3 lengths back in third and was then just nosed out by Planchet when runner-up in the STC Pago Pago Stakes-Gr.2 with third-placed Strictly Smart 4.6 lengths back.

He was the first colt home when third in the Golden Slipper-Gr.1 (1200m) on March 23 behind Calaway Gal and Victory Vein (Planchet and Bel Esprit were fourth and fifth) and was then 2.25 lengths behind Victory Vein when runner-up in the AJC Sires’ Produce-Gr.1 (1400m) and then third behind the Bede Murray-trained stablemates Victory Vein and Half Hennessy in the Champagne Stakes-Gr.1 (1600m) on April 13 to end his juvenile season.

Powerful and with a mind of his own, Choisir had given his trainer more than his share of headaches during the season, but his talent was there for all to see.

However there was more frustration ahead as it would take seven runs for the chestnut to win his first race as a three year-old, although he was third in the Stan Fox-Gr.2 (beaten less than a length over 1400m), Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1 (behind Helenus and Bel Esprit at 1600m) before an outstanding display of sprinting in the Linlithgow Stakes-Gr.2 (1200m) down the straight at Flemington, beating Falvelon by a half-length with Belle du Jour third, then Spinning Hill, Mistegic and Planchet in 1:08.31 on November 7, 2002.

Sent for a break, he resumed on February 9, 2003 in the VRC Lightning Stakes-Gr.1 and with Glen Boss on board he had three-quarters of a length to spare over Spinning Hill at the post, with Azevedo three lengths away and then Rubitano and Bel Esprit.

Running the 1000m in 56.63, Choisir was the only runner to come down the inside of the track and led throughout.
He was third behind River Dove in the Oakleigh Plate-Gr.1, seventh in the Futurity-Gr.1 and sixth in the Newmarket-Gr.1 on March 8 before the decision was made to campaign the colt abroad, with the rich International Sprint in Singapore his goal.

The SARS outbreak in Asia and the cancellation of this race meant a rethink for connections, and so the decision was made to tackle the Royal Ascot meeting in June.
Choisir was allowed to start at 25/1 in his first race in England, the King’s Stand Stakes-Gr.2 (5f) on June 17, 2003, although only three, and he was weighted as a four year-old and carried an extra penalty as a Gr.1 winner with his 9:7 (60.32kg) being 5lb (2.26kg) more than his closest-weighted rivals.

In the end it was no contest and Choisir became the first Australian-bred and trained horse to win in Britain when he raced away with the 20 runner Gr.2 event, running the 5f in 59.68 and beating Acclamation by a length and with Oasis Dream 1.5 lengths behind in third place.

Racing Post wrote: “This was an extraordinary performance from the Australian Gr.1 winner Choisir, who is not yet four, having been foaled to southern hemisphere time, and had the maximum penalty to shoulder.

“He got very warm and on his toes beforehand but broke fast from his draw near the middle and showed blistering speed to dominate from the word go, Hong Kong challenger Firebolt (Volata when he raced over here) being the only one to go with him. Some three lengths clear into the final furlong, Choisir was never going to be caught and held on comfortably, without being asked for maximum effort.

“He could make a quick reappearance in Saturday’s Golden Jubilee Stakes and it would be risky, to say the least, to assume he will not be as effective at 6f and will set the race up for a classy finisher like Airwave. He has done most of his winning at 6f and if there is a lesson to be taken from this race it is that our sprinters collectively are none too special.”

Next came the 17-runner Golden Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1 (6f) on June 21 and again ridden by Johnny Murtagh and carrying 9:4, he had half a length to spare over Airwave with Baron’s Pit a length back in third (Belle du Jour unplaced) in 1:12.23 (breaking the 11 year-old course record by .02).

Again from Racing Post’s race summary comes this comment: “The prime of the established older sprinting crop were put in their place by the three year-olds, led by Australian star Choisir, who followed up his King’s Stand win on Tuesday in this stronger-contested race over the extra furlong and momentarily broke the course record held by Orient.

The plethora of Gr.2 and Gr.3 form behind the winner makes him a worthy Gr.1 winner. It is exciting that he remains here for the July Cup, where a few more of the current classic crop could take on this powerhouse, who although considered four here is a three year-old by his southern hemisphere date of birth. As such, he was again badly in at the weights, giving his fellow three year-olds 7lb. He also did it the hard way, having to overcome his high mid-track draw, slowly working his way over to get to the stands’ rail for the last two furlongs.