Sliding doors moment sealed star stallion’s fate

Cover image courtesy of Newgate Farm

Written by Jackson Frantz

A seemingly inconsequential fall of an auctioneer’s gavel at the 2015 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale was the sliding doors moment that sealed newly crowned Champion First Season Sire Extreme Choice’s fate.

The then Wellington-based Bell River Thoroughbreds entered the Sale with four yearlings, headlined by two promising colts by Smart Missile and Not A Single Doubt respectively.

The former was a more touted prospect and had caught the eye of many astute judges, including Mark and Shelley Treweek of the New Zealand-based Lyndhurst Farm and Hall of Fame trainer Ron Quinton.

The colt was knocked down to the Treweek’s for $200,000, and much to the frustration of Bell River’s Andrew Ferguson, who had only seconds earlier spotted Quinton’s missed bid of $220,000.

“Even though he ended up being Smart Missile’s sale topper I was filthy leaving the box and sale as he should’ve made that extra $20,000,” Ferguson told TDN AusNZ.

“Mark and Shelley (Treweek) ended up sending the Smart Missile back to New Zealand, gelded him and sold him to Hong Kong for NZ$275,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run (Sale).”

However, despite Ferguson’s disappointment, every great racing story requires a touch of luck and good fortune.

And it would pave the way for bloodstock agent Luke Wilkinson and trainer Mick Price to secure his chestnut colt by Not A Single Doubt out of Extremely (Hussonet) for $100,000.

He would go on to become the aptly named dual Group 1 winner and record-breaking 2020/21 Champion First Season sire Extreme Choice.

“Mick didn’t love the horse as much as Luke and told him that he only had $80,000 to spend. However, Luke would go over budget to secure him, and ultimately left Mark and Shelley the underbidders,” Ferguson said.

“After he went through the ring Mark and Shelley said to me, they loved him but had blown their budget because they spent so much money on the Smart Missile colt.

“So, it was a real sliding doors moment in time, as if the spotters had’ve picked up Ron’s (Quinton) bid Mark and Shelley would’ve ended up with Extreme Choice then sent him to New Zealand, gelded him and likely sold him to Hong Kong.”

Sliding doors

Ferguson followed Extreme Choice’s eight-start career with great interest and still holds a breeding right in the much sought-after Newgate Farm stallion.

He will send his homebred Group 1 winner I Am Excited (Snitzel) to Extreme Choice for her second career cover this upcoming breeding season.

“It has been very rewarding as breeding really good horses is what you dream about, he was a phenomenal racehorse and looks to be an outstanding sire,” Ferguson said.

“We’re very lucky because we have four yearlings by him that will go to the sales next year and I’ve currently got five mares in foal to him. So, the next few years could be very fruitful.”