Australia’s ‘King of Sires’ Redoute’s Choice dies at Arrowfield Stud

The rising 23-year-old son of Danehill and Shantha's Choice was humanely euthanised after suffering a traumatic loss of mobility, which could not be restored, despite intensive care by Arrowfield's veterinary and stallion teams.

"Redoute's Choice is such a big part of all our lives," Arrowfield's John Messara said on the stud's website this morning.

"And, right now, it's hard to imagine Arrowfield without him.

"He has given us so much, Arrowfield has been built on his back and he's allowed all of us and many, many other people to fulfil our dreams and ambitions.

"I thank Muzaffar Yaseen for allowing us to buy into Redoute's Choice almost two decades ago.

"Our partnership has always been amicable and it has achieved all that we could hope for, and more.

"I'm grateful to all my team, past and present, who are part of his story, especially those who have cared for and worked with Redoute's Choice every day, and have ensured that he's had the long and wonderful life he deserved."

There were many tears being shed at Arrowfield today, he added.

"I also thank everyone who helped us launch his stud career, his shareholders, and those who bred to him, and bought, raced, trained and rode his progeny," Mr Messara said.

"He has blessed us all."

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys AM also paid tribute to the much-loved thoroughbred.

"Redoute's Choice seamlessly made the transition from outstanding racehorse to become one of the greatest stallions we have seen," he said.

"His accomplishments in the breeding barn have been phenomenal, and our condolences go to connections of Redoute's Choice and those at Arrowfield Stud that would have cared for this magnificent animal during his near two decades at the farm."

REDOUTE'S Choice was the rarest of thoroughbred horses, who exceeded even the lofty expectations of his glorious physique, powerful pedigree and brilliant racing career, to become a world-class stallion, a sale-ring sensation, a dominant sire of sires and broodmares and a major influence for years to come.

His death comes in a season of fresh recognition and achievement, including his 34th Group 1 winner Galaxy Star, a trio of million-dollar colts at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and a spectacular 3YO campaign by his best racing son, The Autumn Sun, who won his fifth Group 1 race, the Rosehill Guineas, last Saturday.

The Autumn Sun's place on the Arrowfield roster is already reserved, alongside four other Redoute's Choice sons: record-breaking champion sire Snitzel, leading sire Not A Single Doubt, Scissor Kick, whose first yearlings are being offered at 2019 sales, and Pariah, who served his first book in 2018.

Almost 13 years after he won the first of his three General Sires' Premierships, Redoute's Choice remains a top five sire and is likely to secure his first Australian Broodmare Sires' title this season with earnings of $15.2 million and 15 stakes winners to date, among them Group 1 winners Extra Brut, Amphitrite and Arcadia Queen.

Redoute's Choice was bred by Muzaffar Yaseen, foaled on August 15, 1996, and retained to race in the now-famous yellow, red, lime and orange Teeley Assets colours.

Mr Yaseen sent him to Melbourne trainer Rick Hore-Lacy who prepared the strikingly handsome colt throughout his 10-start, 5-win, $1.6 million racing career.

He made headlines and history immediately, after winning a Listed Race at his 2YO debut on 20 February 1999 and lining up a mere seven days later in the Blue Diamond S. G1, which he won by two lengths from his great rival Testa Rossa.

His spring 3YO campaign began with a 1200m weight-for-age victory in the Manikato S. G1 and peaked in the heroic, one-for-the-ages battle with Testa Rossa for the Caulfield Guineas G1, won by Redoute's Choice only in the final metres.

Redoute's Choice returned in the autumn to add a fourth Group 1 success, defeating Miss Pennymoney and Intergaze in the C.F. Orr S. G1, and retired to Arrowfield as Australia's Champion 3YO Miler.

He served 134 mares in 2000 at a fee of $30,000 which did not increase until his fifth season, in 2004.

That was after the appearance of his first stakes winners Not A Single Doubt and Tahni Girl, the 2003/04 Champion First Season Sire title and his first million-dollar yearling.

It was in the 2004/05 racing season that Redoute's Choice, with 137 runners from two crops of racing age, emerged as a potential champion stallion and the inheritor of Danehill's crown.

He unleashed a staggering 16 stakes winners, four at Group 1 level: 3YO filly Lotteria and 2YOs Fashions Afield, Stratum and Undoubtedly. Only Danehill and Zabeel headed him on the Australian General Sires' Premiership and his 2005 Inglis Easter Sale results included the Tugela colt, sold for a then all-time Australian record price of $2.5 million.

He served a full book of 196 mares in 2005 and continued to serve at least 100 mares each year until the last two seasons when his book was restricted to 74 and 45 mares.

Redoute's Choice claimed his first General Sires' Premiership with three crops racing in 2005/06, the season of six Group 1 winners: Champion 2YO Miss Finland, Snitzel (Oakleigh Plate), God's Own (Caulfield Guineas), Nadeem (Blue Diamond S.), Fashions Afield (Flight S.) and Lotteria (Myer Classic).

His second Premiership came in 2009/10, the year of diversely-gifted fillies, the dual Group 1 winning-sprinter Melito, Queensland Derby winner Dariana and Toorak Handicap winner Allez Wonder.

That season also marked the arrival of his statistically most notable crop, eventually the source of 21 stakes winners from 107 named foals - a remarkable strike rate of 19.6 per cent.

Flag-bearer for that 2009 cohort was World Champion Sprinter, Horse of the Year and five-time Group 1 winner Lankan Rupee who helped propel Redoute's Choice to his third and final Premiership, in 2013/14.

Snitzel's second-place finish in 2014 resulted in a father-and-son premiership quinella unprecedented in Australian thoroughbred history and signalled the passing of the baton to the next generation of the Danehill dynasty at Arrowfield.

Redoute's Choice now has 22 stakes-siring sons, 10 of them also Group 1 sires.

They are responsible for 279 stakes winners, while his daughters have left 86 stakes winners, including 13 at Group 1 level.

International recognition of Redoute's Choice's contribution to the Australian thoroughbred industry has grown steadily in recent years.

Only last month leading bloodstock analyst Bill Oppenheim announced that his APEX A Runner index of 3.82 earned him the No. 1 spot among Australasian sires, ahead of Snitzel, I Am Invincible, Savabeel and Fastnet Rock.

"It is a great consolation to me that Redoute's Choice leaves us at the top of his game, having sustained his greatness as a sire from start to finish, across the full span of his career," Mr Messara said.

"His legacy to Australian breeding and racing is immense, through his sire sons, his broodmare daughters, his final crops still to come and all the people he touched over the past two decades.

"Thank you Redoute's, for everything."