Justify Represented By First Australian Winner

Courtesy TDNAus/NZ

Coolmore Stud's Triple Crown hero and dual-hemisphere sire Justify (Scat Daddy) is off the mark in Australia and with a smart one. Learning To Fly (Aus) found plenty at her racecourse debut in Saturday's G3 Widden S. at Rosehill (video), having shown plenty of talent at the trials.

Bred by Katom and purchased by Kia Ora Stud for A$900,000 from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the Annabel Neasham-trained filly is her sire's seventh worldwide stakes winner and his first winner of any variety on Australian soil.

She is the second foal for the G3 Chairmans' S. winner Ennis Hill (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) whose dam is the G2 Reisling S. winner Hips Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky)–also dam of the Listed winners Lake Geneva (Aus) and Acrobat (Aus), both also by Fastnet Rock.

Served last spring by Snitzel (Aus) after foaling an I Am Invincible (Aus) filly, Ennis Hill also has a Pierro (Aus) filly who is catalogued as lot 117 at this year's Inglis Easter sale.

Learning To Fly boasts a cross of the wonderful mare Crimson Saint (Crimson Satan) via her grandson Storm Cat and son Royal Academy.

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Friday’s Insights: Seven-Figure Yearling Set for American Unveiling

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, post time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Bred in Australia by the renowned Arrowfield Stud, KAZUHIKO (AUS) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was purchased for a joint third-highest price of A$1.7 million (US$1,211,760) at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by a partnership including Spendthrift Farm, Kennewell Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell, the Sept. 1 foal was the subject of major betting support ahead of his debut in the G3 National S. at Adelaide's Morphettville Racetrack in South Australa last May, but he could do no better than a green second as the 3-1 favorite (video). Runner-up in a Geelong (Victoria) maiden Sept. 6, he makes his first start since a sixth in soft ground at Ballarat (Victoria) two weeks later. Kazuhiko becomes the fifth of his late sire's progeny to start in the U.S. and is out of a Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-sister to Yell (Aus) (Anabaa), a three-time Group 1 winner and champion sprinter in Australia; and to SW Sung (Aus) (Anabaa), dam of 2019 champion 2-year-old colt Microphone (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Jessica Pyfer claims five pounds from the rail for Richard Mandella and Lasix goes on. TJCIS PPs

Well-Related American Pharoah Colt Gets Going…
5th-ELP, $51K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, post time: 3:42 p.m. ET
The cleverly named FAITHFUL RULER (American Pharoah) was bought back on a bid of $55K at last year's Keeneland September sale, but blossomed into a $230K Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile after breezing a furlong in :10 2/5. The Apr. 3 foal is a son of Adeste Fideles (Giant's Causeway), whose G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-winning dam is also responsible for French G1SWs Van Gogh (American Pharoah) and Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill); GSW & MG1SP Viscount Nelson (Giant's Causeway); US GSW Point Piper (Giant's Causeway); and GSW Kitty Matcham (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Third dam Doff the Derby (Master Derby) produced champion MG1SW Generous (Ire) (Caerleon). TJCIS PPs

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TDN Q&A With John Messara

While 2021 marks the end of an era for Australia's Arrowfield Stud, with the last yearlings by its breed-shaping sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) going through the ring, it has likewise signaled the start of another, with young shuttler Shalaa (Ire) getting off to a bright start with his first Southern Hemisphere-bred crop headed by the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero (Aus). Arrowfield will offer yearlings by both at the upcoming Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on Apr. 6 and 7, and we caught up with Arrowfield's John Messara to discuss Shalaa, the consignment and some broader industry trends.

TDN: Shalaa has got off to an excellent start in his first season with runners. Can you tell us why you think his progeny are suited to Australia?

JM: Yes, Shalaa has got off to a good start here. He was a champion 2-year-old racehorse in Europe, he's good-looking and from a sireline that was beginning to work in Australia. I must say, his progeny all seem endowed with his quality and athletic demeanour. From the start, trainer feedback has been good.

TDN: After Shalaa's first year, what kind of support did he receive in his subsequent three books, and what types of mares do you think are best suited to him? How have his yearlings been received this year off the back of his early results?

JM: We have been serving approximately 150 mares each year with him and demand at the sales for his progeny has remained strong. It is a bit early to say what kind of mares will work for him, however, he seems to tidy up the progeny of most mares.

TDN: Arrowfield has 49 to sell at Easter-tell us a bit about the draft as a whole.

JM: We have what I believe is a well-balanced, high-standard draft of yearlings for Easter, including a number of yearlings by Japanese stallions and a group of exquisite yearlings by our champion sire, Snitzel. The response from those who have inspected the draft on the farm over the last 10 days has been positive, and there is a strong recognition of our record as a source of top performers and prospective stallions.

TDN: When most other sales markets have been happy to consolidate during the global pandemic, the Australian yearling market has been vibrant this year, setting records at the major sales thus far. Why do you think Australians have been so keen to invest in Thoroughbreds?

JM: Australia has seen a buoyant market in most asset classes during the COVID-19 crisis: real estate, the stock market, boats, Thoroughbreds etc. I think it's a combination of factors which has caused this. The massive injection of funds into the economy by the Australian Government and our very low interest rates have been contributors. Our natural isolation and effective response to the virus compared to most other countries has made us a bit of a haven.

Then there has been the psychological effect of all the scientific and government warnings about the drastic potential of COVID, which led to people believing they were staring death in the face on a major scale when in fact we have been able to control the disease very well. I think this has caused people to reassess their lives and begin to “live for the moment,” unleashing significant discretionary expenditure on horses, boats, cars–if that was their hobby–or on upgrading their homes, etc.

TDN: Australia's prizemoney has also done well during the pandemic; minimum prizemoney levels were quickly restored and Racing NSW recently announced a $20-million prizemoney injection. Why has Australian prizemoney been able to flourish and grow during this time?

JM: There are two reasons: racing was about the only sport or entertainment that continued relatively unabated during the pandemic and so it enjoyed a big rise in wagering turnover; that has underpinned the sport's revenue base. In NSW, [we underwent] negotiations with the state government six or seven years ago that led us to be placed on the same footing as the Victorian racing industry as far as state wagering taxes were concerned. This tax alleviation was conceded to Racing NSW and was to be introduced on a five-year graduated basis. I believe we are now enjoying the full benefit of this.

The racing industry in Australia is most fortunate to be supported by the best fundamentals for racehorse owners in all the open racing economies. Australian racing is working its way back into being a mainstream sport here again.

TDN: This year's yearling sales mark the end of an era with the last crop of Redoute's Choice going through the ring. Can you describe how important he has been to Arrowfield and to the Australian industry?

JM: Redoute's Choice's multiple champion sire titles certainly underpinned the Arrowfield operations over a number of years and the massive revenue generated by his progeny by way of yearling sales and prizemoney benefitted the industry as a whole.

TDN: Likewise, Danehill and his descendants, with Redoute's Choice at the forefront, have shaped the modern Australian breed.

JM: Yes, it's true that Danehill and his most influential son have shaped the breed in Australia. Danehill, Redoute's Choice and their sons have, in fact, won 20 of the last 25 Australian champion sire titles–quite an achievement. There was more evidence of their dominance just last weekend when each of the 15 starters in the G1 Golden Slipper had at least one line of Danehill blood in their pedigree.

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