News

Choisir Paved The Way

19th Jul 2009

*Racing And Sports - Brian Russell - Friday, 17 July 2009

The retirement this week of Takeover Target has led writer Brian Russell to ponder the feats of Choisir – whose trailblazing feats in 2003 have led to a regular Australian invasion of Royal Ascot.

Choisir was in the news again this week with his exciting son Battlefield making it back-to-back stakes wins when beating older rivals to take the Listed Grafton Ramornie.

If the Paul Messara trained gelding continues his rise through the ranks, he may be given an opportunity to emulate his sire on the international stage.

Brian's article follows:

TAKEOVER TARGET, the iron constitutioned 'colonial' sprinter whose remarkable career came to a sad end as a 10-year-old (northern hemisphere time) when he fractured bones in a hind leg after coming home in seventh place in the July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket last week, was on his fourth annual visit to England. Fortunately he has survived the injuries.

The earlier visits to England resulted in the gelded son of the briefly shuttled Mr. Prospector grandson Celtic Swing stamping himself as one of the world's leading sprinters in three successive cracks at the Royal Ascot June sprint double of King's Stand Stakes (a win, second and a fourth) and Golden Jubilee Stakes (a second, third and fourth).

Overseas excursions also saw him win international sprints in Japan and Singapore and his total career, including18 wins (five Group1s) in Australia, add up to 21 wins, ten minor placings (four Australian Group1s), and $6,026,311 from 41 starts.

It is a career that makes Takeover Target, a horse bred at the Meringo Stud near Moruya on the NSW south coast and sold to his previously unknown owner and trainer Joe Janiak as a discarded supposedly dicky legged 3-year-old at a Sydney sale for $1,250, a claimant for the distinction of being the greatest bargain in thoroughbred history.

Takeover Target's world tours may not have eventuated if it had not been for pioneering of the path to England by Newcastle trainer Paul Perry in 2003 with his part owned leading Australian sprinter Choisir.

Bred by Ross Daisley, owner of Windemere Farm, Wilberforce, Hawkesbury Valley using Danehill Dancer and a Lunchtime minor Sydney 2-year-old winner, Great Selection, and sold at the Inglis Sydney Classic yearling sale for $55,000, Choisir made history when he became the first Australian owned and trained horse to win England.

In a three start campaign, he challenged as the year's world's best sprinter with wins in the two big sprints at Royal Ascot and a second in the July Cup at Newmarket.

Choisir is now owned by Coolmore and is a prominent sire in Ireland and the Hunter Valley with his oldest 4-year-olds. His Australian sired runners already include130 winners (69 from his crop, 52 second and nine winners and 12 others placed among his third batch, 2-year-olds of 2008-09) and $9.2million.

They have won in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Choisir's quality as an Australian sire has been shown up in the past week by a double at last Saturday's Randwick meeting (2yo filly Magic Model recorded her second successive Sydney win) and Dreamscape (3yo colt, third Sydney win, including two Group events), and the impressive victory of another 3-year-old colt, Battlefield, in this week's $130,000 Grafton Ramornie.

The success of Battlefield, now winner of five of seven starts, including his last four, has so impressed his connections, an Arrowfield partnership including this stud's principal John Messara and broadcasting tycoon Alan Jones, and trainer Paul Messara they are contemplating taking the colt to Ascot for next year's sprints.

That would be further Australian international history.

Bred by J.Fraser and sold through Glentree Downs,Modewarre, Victoria at the Inglis Melbourne yearling sales to a bid of $300,000 from Paul Messara Racing, Battlefield is bred to fly.

He is not only by a world class sprinter, but his dam Charming Charge is bred on a sire cross of two Golden Slipper winners, Rory's Jester and Vain.