Arrowfield Stud's Bloodstock Manager, Jon Freyer, has been in the game long enough to know there’s not much room for sentiment in racing and breeding, but he admits the team at the leading Hunter Valley-based nursery is feeling a great sense of pride ahead of this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. And that’s because Dundeel (NZ) – a horse they raced with great success – has two exciting young stallions – Castelvecchio and Super Seth - making their sales debut.
Dundeel, an Arrowfield Stud resident, won in excess of $5.3 million on the track, thanks largely to six Group 1 victories. He has established himself as a top-class sire, with 19 individual stakes winners and five elite-level scorers.
Dundeel (NZ) | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Freyer and Co. hope Castelvecchio, who also stands at Arrowfield Stud and was a two-time Group 1 victor, can follow in his old man’s footsteps, while Waikato Stud has high hopes for the Arrowfield Stud-bred Super Seth, who is the first Caulfield Guineas winner to stand in New Zealand in three decades.
“Yeah, it is a little bit special to have a horse like that,” Freyer told TDN AusNZ.
“We bred Castelvecchio and sold him as a yearling, so he’s a bit like Danzero and Flying Spur… ones that have returned to stand at stud.
“It is exciting, it’s always something new, it’s always interesting to see what other people’s view of them is. We’ve been really pleased with the feedback that we’ve got at the pre-sale parades, it’s been really positive.”
“It is exciting, it’s always something new, it’s always interesting to see what other people’s view of them is. We’ve been really pleased with the feedback (about Castelvecchio's progeny) that we’ve got at the pre-sale parades, it’s been really positive.” - Jon Freyer
Chittick - Waikato Stud’s principal – admitted acquiring Super Seth – the 2019 Caulfield Guineas hero - to then have his first crop present for sale, has been a huge undertaking.
“Stallions of any quality, but certainly Caulfield Guineas winners like that, it’s a bloody big job, it’s a huge job. We feel we’ve given him every opportunity over the first few years, certainly in that first year,” Chittick said when talking to TDN AusNZ.
“We had good foals born and they’re now yearlings that we’re very proud to be getting to the sales.”
“Stallions of any quality, but certainly Caulfield Guineas winners like that (Super Seth), it’s a bloody big job, it’s a huge job. We feel we’ve given him every opportunity over the first few years, certainly in that first year.” - Mark Chittick
From his first crop of 95 live foals, Castelvecchio will have 18 yearlings at Bundall in January, with eight of those (four colts, four fillies) to be offered by Arrowfield Stud.
Freyer said their octet are very much in the mould of their father, who won the G1 Champagne S. (1600 metres) as a 2-year-old, before triumphing in the G1 Rosehill Guineas (2000 metres) and running second in the G1 Cox Plate (2040 metres) at three. He is certain the Castelvecchio yearlings will prove popular.
“They’re great-moving horses, they’ve got a lot of depth and plenty of muscle and substance to them. Particularly the draft we’ve selected to take to Magics, they look genuine Magic Millions types,” he said.
“He’s stamping his stock very much, they’re very much of a type. They’re a lot like him.
Jon Freyer | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He’s out of a Group 1-placed mare by Dehere and you see a bit of the Dehere in them; that muscle and big hip.
“People are happy with the types that he’s leaving and we’re excited to bring a nice draft to the sale.”
Freyer expects Castelvecchio’s progeny to have precocity and make their mark in their juvenile season and then train on.
“He was quite an early horse, he won a race around this time as a 2-year-old, then he won the Inglis Millennium and then he was a Golden Slipper hopeful, before winning the Champagne Stakes. So, he was a very precocious horse himself and he’s leaving that type of physical,” Freyer commented.
“He (Castelvecchio) was quite an early horse, he won a race around this time as a 2-year-old, then he won the Inglis Millennium and then he was a Golden Slipper hopeful, before winning the Champagne Stakes. So, he was a very precocious horse himself and he’s leaving that type of physical.” - Jon Freyer
“He was a top 2-year-old. If the Inglis Millennium was a race that had counted for prizemoney for the Golden Slipper, he probably runs in the Golden Slipper and he might have won it. So, I see his progeny running a bit like him, I think they’ll be 2-year-olds, a bit like him, and there he was a Cox Plate 3-year-old. It’s what everyone wants, they want a 2-year-old that will train on and be a high-class 3-year-old and maybe stretch a bit in distance, as well.
“Versatility is what you like to see in horses. The horses that are really popular, like Anamoe, he’s got a similar profile. Anamoe has raced on an extra season. They’re the sorts of horses that people really like.”
According to Freyer, the Castelvecchio yearlings are not only great physicals, they have a wonderful temperament.
Castelvecchio | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Freyer said: “They’re great, they’ve been terrific; they haven’t put a foot out of line so far and that’s a big thing with horses; an underestimated characteristic of a racehorse and a stallion and even when you’re buying a yearling… often how they handle the yearling sale is a little bit how they will handle a raceday and stable life. If they cope well and handle all the rigours of being pulled in and out of boxes hundreds of times, often they’ll cope with training well, and we’re seeing the Castelvecchios are very easy to manage, just like he was.”
Super Seth will have seven yearlings from his first crop of 110 live foals go through the ring at Bundall, with three of them (two colts and a filly) to be offered by Sledmere Stud (as agent for Waikato Stud).
Chittick echoed Freyer’s thoughts regarding Castelvecchio’s offspring, saying Super Seth’s progeny are cracking types and beautiful movers.
Super Seth | Standing at Waikato Stud
“We had (prominent bloodstock agent) Dean Hawthorne here the other day and his comment was, 'Super Seth’s specialty was that he was such a good mover as a yearling, he was such a good walker, and he’s certainly passed that on to them',” Chittick explained.
“They’re athletic and strong, they’re bloody strong, and we’re pretty confident with what people will see if they’re wanting to buy a yearling with a view to turning it into a racehorse.
“They’re (Super Seth’s progeny) athletic and strong, they’re bloody strong, and we’re pretty confident with what people will see if they’re wanting to buy a yearling with a view to turning it into a racehorse.” - Mark Chittick
“Hopefully they have that dazzling turn of foot he possessed as a 2-year-old right through until his Caulfield Guineas win.”
Chittick said the Super Seths have good brains, adding: “They’re fantastic to work with, they have been all the way through.”
Mark Chittick | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
Arrowfield Stud’s Castelvecchio yearlings
Freyer revealed it was difficult to highlight a standout yearling from their eight Castelvelcchios on the Gold Coast and he believes that isn’t a bad thing.
“They’re quite an even bunch. If someone asked, ‘Which one will be top our draft?’, you could have five picks and still get it wrong. I think that’s a good thing, I think people are looking at them thinking, ‘Gosh, they’re peas in a pod’. They like to see that a sire stamps his stock and we’re certainly seeing that with the him,” said Freyer.
“There’s some very nice horses there.”
Lot 198 is a filly from the Group 3 victress Ocean Challenger (Rubiton), making her a half-sister to the Listed winner Super Maxi (Redoute’s Choice) and the 10-time winner Salty (Bel Esprit).
Gallery: Some of Arrowfield Stud's Castelvecchio yearlings to be offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
The filly’s fourth dam is the Listed winner Civette (Fr) (Mincio {Fr}).
“She’s a lovely filly from a Group-winning mare, who has thrown a quality sprinter in Super Maxi,” Freyer said.
Lot 423 is the sixth foal out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Statuette, who has produced the stakes performers Providenceprovides (Real Impact {Jpn}) and Deserved (Dundeel {NZ}).
The colt’s grandam is the Group 3 winner Estatuilla (Arg) (Southern Halo {USA}).
“The Statuette colt is from a good producer. She’s thrown a nice filly in New Zealand called Providenceprovides, who is knocking on the door to win a Group race,” said Freyer.
“The Statuette colt (Lot 423) is from a good producer. She’s thrown a nice filly in New Zealand called Providenceprovides, who is knocking on the door to win a Group race.” - Jon Freyer
“He’s a very good colt.”
Lot 640 – a colt – is from Ballet Blanc (Redoute’s Choice), who is an unraced sister to the Group 2 placegetter Tchaikovsky and a three-quarter sister to the stakes performers Little Doutes (Redoute’s Choice) and Smirnova (Snitzel).
“This colt is from the family of The Heavyweight and the dam’s brother, Tchaikovsky, was a yearling topper at Magic Millions a few seasons back and showed a lot of promise, he placed in a Slipper lead-up race,” Freyer remarked.
Waikato Stud’s Super Seth yearlings
Chittick was also sitting on the fence when asked which of his trio was the pick of the bunch.
“They’re a pretty even bunch and when you’re trying to get these stallions off the ground, you’re giving them every opportunity. You want as many to race as possible in the best jurisdiction in the world, so when you get them over there there’s every chance they stay there and race there; that’s pretty important when you’re trying to make these stallions,” Chittick commented.
“Hopefully those ones in Australia will catch their eye and they’ll want to come over to New Zealand and buy more at Karaka.”
“Hopefully those ones in Australia will catch their eye and they’ll want to come over to New Zealand and buy more (Super Seth yearlings) at Karaka.” - Mark Chittick
Lot 194 is a colt from the winning O’Reilly (NZ) mare O’Dianne (NZ), making him a half-brother to last year’s G1 Queensland Derby runner-up Paternal (NZ) (Savabeel).
His third dam is the Group 2 victress Zephyr Magic (NZ) (Zephyr Bay), who has thrown the Group 3 winner Breezy (NZ) (Pins) and the Group 1 winner Dahlia’s Best (NZ) (Dahar {USA}).
Lot 680 is a colt out of the Savabeel mare Boulevard (NZ), who is a sister to the Group 2 winner Acting (NZ) and a three-quarter sister to the Group 2 victor Forgot You (NZ).
Gallery: Waikato Stud's Super Seth yearlings to be offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
The two-time Group 1 heroine Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), who was the third-top filly on the 2005/06 Australasian 4YO+ Classification, is the colt’s third dam.
And Lot 818 is a filly from Eleanor Rigby (NZ) (Savabeel) – a sister to the Group 2 winner Coldplay (NZ) and a three-quarter sister to the Listed victress Savacool (NZ) (Savabeel).
