It's been over four years since Hussonet died at age 25 at Cornerstone Stud, where he spent his final five years as a stallion, having previously made a significant impact at Arrowfield Stud, whose chairman John Messara had purchased him out of Chile as a seven-time Champion Sire.
As a sire, he produced 30 stakes winners in Australia, highlighted by seven-time Group 1 winner Weekend Hussler as well as Eagle Falls and Reaan, while he also had Gold Trail win at Group 1 level in New Zealand.
But as a broodmare sire, he is making an even bigger impact, highlighted by his rare double on Saturday as Rothfire (Rothesay) won the G1 JJ Atkins S. and Tyzone (Written Tycoon) claimed the G1 Stradbroke H.
The late Hussonet (USA)
That pair joined dual Group 1-winning 2-year-old King's Legacy (Redoute's Choice) as top-flight winners out of Hussonet mares in Australia this season. Other names on the overall list of elite racehorses featuring him as a broodmare sire include triple Group 1 winner Shoals (Fastnet Rock), South African star Soqrat (Epaulette), dual Group 1-winner Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), Hong Kong Chairman's Sprint Prize winners Lucky Bubbles (Sebring) and Ivictory (Mossman) and G1 CF Orr S. winner Manuel (Commands).
Arrowfield Stud has benefitted significantly from Hussonet's ongoing influence as a broodmare sire and has between 15 and 20 of his daughters as part of its current broodmare band along with standing Pariah, who is out of a Hussonet mare himself.
Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer said the influence of Hussonet blood in Australia is no real surprise when you look at the quality of his own pedigree and how well it matches as an outcross to the dominant sirelines in Australia.
Jon Freyer with The Autumn Sun
"I think it's probably had so much success because it's such a wonderful outcross. He's a direct son of Mr Prospector out of a great mare and that in itself has stood him in good stead," Freyer said.
"He was a great sire himself. He only came to us midway through his career, but he was a tremendous stallion, capable of getting a champion, and his daughters are perfectly suited to all the good sires of recent times."
Stats back-up pedigree matches
The stats paint an emphatic picture of the impact of Hussonet broodmares in Australia.
The nick of Champion sire Redoute's Choice with Hussonet mares has produced 16 winners from 20 starters, including six stakes winners for a remarkable 30 per cent stakes winners to runners record.
Hussonet's mares have produced 11 winners, including three stakes winners to another Arrowfield resident Not A Single Doubt, while the stats with Coolmore Champion Fastnet Rock are seven winners, including one stakes winner, and six winners, including two stakes winners, from eight runners, with former Widden Stud stallion Sebring.
| Redoute's Choice | 20 | 16 | 6 | 30% | King's Legacy |
| I Am Invincible | 7 | 6 | 2 | 28% | Convincible |
| Stratum | 7 | 4 | 2 | 28% | Straturbo |
| Sebring | 8 | 6 | 2 | 25% | Lucky Bubbles |
| Written Tycoon | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25% | Tyzone |
| Commands | 4 | 2 | 1 | 25% | Manuel |
| Swiss Ace | 5 | 5 | 1 | 20% | Staccato |
| Rothesay | 5 | 4 | 1 | 20% | Rothfire |
Table: Hussonet (USA) mares - Best nicks by stakes winners percentage
Nicks with fellow Australian-bred or based sires such as I Am Invincible, Choisir, Swiss Ace, Beneteau, Stratum, Mossman, Commands, Epaulette, Perfectly Ready, Towkay, So You Think (NZ) and now Written Tycoon and Rothesay, have also produced stakes winners.
Freyer said the general physical match between Hussonet and these Australian sires was a positive, but the success also owed much to the strength of the American-bred sire's own bloodlines.
"His daughters tend to be like him in that they are neater, quality type mares and physically that suits a lot of the bigger scopier stallions like Redoute's Choice. He neatens and sharpens up those horses a little bit," he said.
"His daughters tend to be like him in that they are neater, quality type mares and physically that suits a lot of the bigger scopier stallions." - Jon Freyer
"Physically they are compatible, but more importantly, it’s that Mr Prospector factor. There is probably no better sire than him and with Hussonet being out of a great and very fast mare by Raja Baba, it's good blood. It’s great blood for any of those Danehill-Northern Dancer-line stallions."
Match a secret to success
Sourcing an outcross stallion whose mares can match up so well with a farm's existing stallion offering is a strategy which has yielded considerable success for Arrowfield.
"If you can find those marelines that are compatible with the stallion you have, it’s a tremendous headstart," Freyer said.
Pierro | Standing at Coolmore
"Pierro is a great example of that. He thrives on the Redoute's Choice-line mares. That's one of the issues we have had with our stallions, with Snitzel and the like, a lot of the best blood is incompatible with them, because they are Redoute's or Fastnet Rock-line horses. Having access to a horse like Hussonet and now his daughters is a tremendous asset to the farm."
Similarly, the win of Tyzone in the Stradbroke is a timely one for Arrowfield, who will stand his sire Written Tycoon in 2020. He was sourced from Victoria with his compatibility to both the Redoute's Choice-line and Hussonet mares in mind.
"We’ve thought all along that the Mr Prospector blood would go well with Written Tycoon. That seems to be a great nick. A lot of our mares by Hussonet or carrying Hussonet blood are going to Written Tycoon this year," Freyer said.
Written Tycoon | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
The ongoing success of the Hussonet line is another tribute to the foresight of Messara when he plucked the stallion out of Haras De Pirque in Chile nearly 20 years ago. It's a decision which is set to have a long-term impact on Australian breeding for many years to come.
"A lot of those decisions have far reaching consequences, bringing a horse like him out here from Chile," Freyer said.
"Hussonet will be a name that will be seen in pedigrees for the next 30-40 years. You will look back and he’ll be there, whereas some die out quickly. He's been so successful and so influential, he’ll be there in many generations to come, I'm certain."