Legend of Redoute's lives on through his daughters

There are 68 yearlings, or some 5.1 per cent of the 1235-lot catalogue, which are out of daughters of the late Arrowfield Stud-based Champion Sire, who we lost in March 2019, and whose last yearling crop went through the sales in 2021.

Second in terms of the most represented broodmare sires is another star son of Danehill (USA) in Coolmore's Fastnet Rock. He has 55 in all, while Darley's own legendary son of Danehill, Exceed And Excel features as the damsire of 42 yearlings, ahead of another pair of Australian Champion Sires, Lonhro and Redoute's own son Snitzel, with 38 apiece.

Vinery's former shuttle star More Than Ready (USA) will see his final 13 yearlings presented, but his legacy lives on through his daughters, which have 32 of their progeny in the Sale. Not A Single Doubt has 30, while four-time Champion Australian Broodmare Sire Encosta De Lago has 29, and Street Cry (Ire) 26. Rounding out the top 10 is I Am Invincible with 24.

Table: Most represented broodmare sires in the Magic Millions 2022 catalogue, *numbers calculated before withdrawals

Damsire in demand

Looking back across the past few editions of the Sale since his death, it is clear that the progeny of Redoute's Choice mares have become much more in demand. Given he has won two of the past three titles as Australian Champion Broodmare Sire, and leads that race again this season, that should not be surprising.

At the 2021 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, there were 42 yearlings sold by daughters of Redoute's Choice, averaging $300,297, with two million-dollar lots, including the $1.8 million Kingman (GB) colt purchased by Tom Magnier.

The year prior, the $1.9 million Sale-topper by Deep Impact (Jpn) was also out of a Redoute's Choice mare. That colt would go on to win last year's G1 Spring Champion S. as Profondo for trainer Richard Litt. Also among graduates of that Sale was G1 VRC Derby winner Hitotsu (Maurice {Jpn}). another star Arrowfield Stud graduate out of Redoute's Choice mare.

At that 2020 Sale, progeny of his daughters averaged $236,212 across 40 yearlings, while a year earlier it was $209,977 across 45 sales. Put simply, the value of yearlings featuring him as a damsire has gone up nearly 50 per cent in three years.

That is influenced by the broader increase in the value of yearlings in that time, but also reflects his ascent to become the premier broodmare sire in Australia, with his daughters having produced 19, 20, and 19 Australian stakes winners across the past three completed seasons and 11 already in 2021/22, leading Encosta De Lago by one.

Added to Redoute's Choice's ongoing influence on the Gold Coast this week is the presence of 104 yearlings by his quartet of Arrowfield-based sons, Snitzel (44), The Autumn Sun (30), Pariah (15) and the now-pensioned Not A Single Doubt, who will have 15 of his final crop presented.

There are also a wealth of sire grandsons represented, chiefly Newgate's Russian Revolution, who has 39 representatives across the catalogue, and Widden Stud's Trapeze Artist, who has 30 of his first crop catalogued.

Nicks that stick

A breakdown of which sires are represented among the 69 progeny by Redoute's Choice mares points to Arrowfield's ongoing belief in supporting their best young stallions with daughters of their late legendary sire.

The combination of Dundeel mares with Redoute's Choice mares is the most common nick in the catalogue with nine yearlings featuring that combination. Four of those nine are part of the Arrowfield Stud draft.

That nick is by far Dundeel's most successful with 23 winners from 37 runners, highlighted by G1 Caulfield Guineas winner and now Waikato stud stallion Super Seth.

The equal second most popular represented among the catalogue is yearlings by I Am Invincible out of Redoute's Choice mares, of which there are seven, all offered by seven different farms. That nick has produced 39 winners on the track, including stakes winner and stallion Overshare.

Also with seven representatives are yearlings by Zoustar out of Fastnet Rock mares, a combination which has produced more winners (16) than any other for the Widden Stud sire.

I Am Invincible has five of his yearlings in the Magic Millions catalogue out of mares from another multiple Champion Sire in Waikato Stud's Savabeel, a nick which interestingly has only produced one runner to date.

Table: Most represented sire/broodmare sire combination in the Magic Millions 2022 catalogue, *numbers calculated before withdrawals

Vinnie has historically nicked well with Fastnet Rock mares, with 20 winners, and he has four yearling representatives of that cross in the catalogue, as well as four with Not A Single Doubt mares.

Lyndhurst Stud's Better Than Ready has four representatives each out of mares by Snitzel and Exceed And Excel. He has six winners with Exceed And Excel mares already while his stakes winner The Odyssey is out of a mare by Snitzel.

So often first-season sires are put to mares by star stallions from the same breeding operation and so it proves with Coolmore's Justify (USA) having four yearlings out of mares by Fastnet Rock, and Darley's Harry Angel (Ire) with two colts and two fillies out of mares by Exceed And Excel.

Deep Field has more representatives in the Sale than any other sire, with 56. His two most common combinations are with Snitzel and I Am invincible mares, with four apiece.

There are also four yearlings by Snitzel out of I Am Invincible mares. Zoustar out of Street Cry mares, Capitalist out of Fastnet Rock mares and also four from that extraordinary cross of Pierro over Redoute's Choice mares, which has produced nine stakes winners, and three Group 1 winners, highlighted by Arcadia Queen.