News

Musir, First of Many?

9th Aug 2009

Breedent - Tara Madgwick - Sunday, 9 August 2009

The easy win of four year-old gelding Chilled at Eagle Farm on Saturday again highlighted the potential of blending the blood of our two champion sires as he is by Redoute’s Choice from a daughter of Encosta de Lago in Lady Mulroy, the same cross that produced recent South African Group One winner Musir.

Prepared by Mike de Kock for Sheikh Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Musir cruised home by three and a half lengths in the Group One Golden Horseshoe for two year-olds at Greyville in South Africa back in late June becoming the very first stakes-winner bred on this cross.

Musir (pictured) is a homebred for the Sheikh and was offered at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Coolmore as agent, passing in shy of his $1million reserve and subsequently sent to South Africa.

A son of champion sire Redoute’s Choice, Musir is the first foal of stakes-placed Encosta de Lago mare Dizzy de Lago, and one can only wonder if he might be the first of many superior racehorses resulting from crossing our two best stallions.

While it would seem an obvious thing to try Encosta de Lago mares with Redoute’s Choice, the mating has in fact been done sparingly with only one other three year-old bred that way in unraced gelding Essington, a $150,000 purchase for Nick Williams from Part Two of the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Of the current season two year-olds again there is just one, a colt from Slice of Paradise that was secured by Blue Sky Thoroughbreds for $1million at the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and coming through as yearlings are just two fillies from Brockman’s Lass and Majestic Harmony.

While the practice of mating Danehill (USA) mares to Encosta de Lago has been commonplace and resulted in stakes-winners such as Rocha, Merlene de Lago, Dan de Lago and Largo Lad, daughters of Redoute’s Choice have been somewhat sparse in the recent books of Australia’s reigning champion sire.

Encosta de Lago has just one three year-old colt bred from a Redoute’s Choice mare and it’s the unraced three year-old Tom’s Eighth that made $210,000 at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and is from Diva’s Magic.

On the two year-old front we have a filly from former top-line mare Lotteria to look forward to and colts from stakes-winners Provence ($625,000 Inglis Easter) and Tahni Girl, plus a filly from Ravishing Choice, a full sister to brilliant filly Amelia’s Dream.

Yearlings in the pipeline include a filly from Group One winner Cheeky Choice, another filly from Lotteria, also fillies from Presenting, Modellista and colts from Provence and Ravishing Choice.

Given the success of Musir and also outstanding Australian three year-old Manhattan Rain, who is by Encosta de Lago from the dam of Redoute’s Choice, this is a cross that will be watched closely over the next few years by our leading commercial breeders.