Wylie contacted Arrowfield in the lead-up to the Sale in January, knowing chairman John Messara was always willing to think outside the square when to came to sourcing thoroughbreds. The idea of buying quality fillies out of South Africa appealed to Messara, who said he hopes it will be the start of a trend moving forward.
"Ric talked to us about the opportunity and we discussed it and I quite liked the idea. So we went and bought two quite well-bred fillies," Messara told TDN AusNZ.
"Due to COVID-19, there has been a bit of a delay with them coming over, but in the process, they have been broken in and pre-trained and everything else. They should be arriving in the not too distant future."
The fillies were initially quarantined in Mauritius and only recently arrived in the United Kingdom where they will spend another six months of quarantine while being prepared for a racetrack career.
“They are presently based and exercising at Louise Allen’s stables at the foot of Warren Hill, Newmarket. Dwayne Dodds of Brook Stud and Jamie Piggott (son of Lester) are managing them for me," Wylie said.
“Luckily they will have had a great foundation to their racing career on the Newmarket Gallops and hopefully can race as late 2-year-olds in Australia."
"They will have had a great foundation to their racing career on the Newmarket Gallops and hopefully can race as late 2-year-olds in Australia." - Ric Wylie
The first filly cost 600,000 rand (AU$51,600) from Lammerskraal Stud and is already named Red Boulevard (SAF). She is by Visionaire (USA) from Strawberry Lane (SAF) (Jallad {USA}), who has already produced the Grade 1 winners Solo Traveller (SAF) (Western Winter {USA}) and Redberry Lane (SAF) (Western Winter {USA}). The extended family includes Australian Group 1 winner Barkada (Spectrum {Ire}).
The second filly, named All That Jazz (SAF), cost 1.65 million rand (AU$142,000) from Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm.
By Trippi (USA), she is from former sprinting star and Grade 1 winner Val De Ra (SAF) (Var {USA}), who has already produced a stakes winner in Miss Frankel (SAF) (Frankel {GB}).
"They were far from record-breaking prices," Messara said. "They were relatively cheap compared to what we pay for our own fillies in this country and with a bit of outcross blood, so I thought it was worth having a go at it."
Ric Wylie
A global vision
Messara has always had an interest in South African bloodstock and has sourced top class mares for the Arrowfield broodmare band, chiefly multiple Grade 1 winner and South African Horse of the Year National Colour (SAF) (National Assembly {Can}) via a joint venture with Klawervlei Stud Farm.
"We have had some good mares out of there in the past, but these are the first two we have sourced out of the yearling sales. We race a horse, Traces, that is blind in one eye and they allow him to run over there, where he can't run over here. He's a stakes horse over there, so that has been a worthwhile experience," Messara said.
"This is a new thing that I am trying and we will see how they go. I think there are some opportunities. There are issues with moving horses in and out of the place, which makes it very awkward.
"It’s been a long-term job and they won't probably see a racetrack until they are three. However, it’s not a bad place to go shopping, albeit you have to be patient."
National Colour (SAF)
The fillies will head to the care of Paul Messara when they arrive in Australia to race in the Arrowfield colours.
"Paul will train them up at home and put them through their paces and start them through country racing and work out if they are at a better level than that," Messara said.
The pair obviously have long-term value as broodmares, and Messara knows through experience that patience is the best way of achieving success with this type of strategy.
"Everything I do, I like to think in the long term," he said. "Globally and long term has always been our approach."
Messara wouldn’t rule out looking for further fillies in South Africa in the near future, but admits the current COVID-19 crisis has slowed down Arrowfield's global plans somewhat.
"There is difficulty of movement and that has made things awkward and so we have to wait for things to revert, but I think they will," he said. "Once we get that vaccine, life will resume in the normal way, and so we just have to be patient."
