‘Where we’ve found a successful formula, we’ve tried to double-down’: tried and tested at Arrowfield

Cover image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud

For decades, Arrowfield has championed families like few big farms in Australia. Alongside building stallions, it has thrown genius behind the gradual climb of certain of its families, so that these days, these families are generations-deep.

They’re mares like Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice) and Response (Charge Forward), and the families of Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) and Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar {Fr}). Some are pedigrees that have been bred in collusion with the likes of Katsumi Yoshida and Gainesway Farm, to name a few.

They’re pedigrees that have reached out to and from Japan, America and many corners of Europe, and they’re some of the best generational blood in the Australian Stud Book. It surprises no one, then, that the annual breeding season at Arrowfield Stud is such an adventure.

John Messara, Jon Freyer and their team have to line up hundreds of matings each spring, and the pickings are rich. Arrowfield has eight stallions to play with right now onsite, and a huge portfolio of valuable mares.

However, after even a brief glance at some of the farm’s plans, it’s clear that certain important matings almost plan themselves.

The mares Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar {USA}), Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (Blame {USA}) and Silent Sedition (War Chant {USA}) are all returning to Snitzel once again after visiting him the last three seasons. The same can be said for Salutations (Redoute’s Choice) and Truly Special (Jeune {GB}), who are rebooked to Dundeel (NZ) after visiting that sire three seasons on the trot.

Gallery: Some of the mares returning to Snitzel this season, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Missybeel (NZ) (Savabeel) and Scarlet Dream (Sebring) are both returning to The Autumn Sun for the third consecutive time, while mares like Love Is Fickle (Redoute’s Choice), Mallory (Not A Single Doubt) and Flying Evelyn (Not A Single Doubt) are all revisiting Maurice (Jpn) after last year’s loyalty.

So, what does this pattern of repetition mean?

It means that Arrowfield has identified nicks and crosses among its families that consistently work. Rising Romance has produced the Group 1-winning Yearning from her dalliances with Snitzel, along with consistently brilliant salering returns, so it makes sense to revisit the well. The same goes for Truly Special, who has foaled two stakes winners via her commitment to Dundeel over the years.

Gallery: Some of the Arrowfield matings planned for 2023

These are obvious matings, but there are also the cases where Arrowfield is mating mares on interesting inbreeding. This spring, it is doing so with Hitotsu.

The farm long ago identified that Maurice is nicking well with Redoute’s Choice/Danehill (USA) mares, but it can’t tap into that with Hitotsu because he is by Maurice from a Redoute’s Choice mare. Therefore, Arrowfield is inbreeding to Redoute’s Choice with its debut stallion, and Hitotsu will this season cover three granddaughters of Miss Finland (by Redoute’s Choice) and mares by Beneteau, Zoustar and Snitzel, among other promising matings.

“Where we’ve found a successful formula, we’ve tried to double down on it,” said Jon Freyer, speaking to The Thoroughbred Report. “But particularly with our young horses, we like to give them the opportunity with lots of bloodlines because what you think and expect to work sometimes doesn’t, and you’re better off finding out what works well early in a stallion’s career rather than too far down the track.”

Arrowfield has long been an expert at this, in part because of the enviable riches at its disposal in the broodmare paddocks. Freyer admits this.

“One of the advantages we have with a big portfolio of mares is, firstly, we’re consistently trying to maintain their quality, but it also gives us an opportunity to mate stallions with a huge variety of bloodlines that they might not otherwise get relying solely on outside-breeder support.”

Going back to the well

For Arrowfield, the repeated patterns with some families has paid huge dividends, and this is particularly true of Snitzel. But is there a limit to how many times it’s beneficial for a mare to visit the same stallion?

Ms Bad Behavior has only ever visited Snitzel since her importation into Australia in 2020, and likewise Rising Romance, who has never visited another stallion in seven breeding seasons.

Historically, this isn’t uncommon. Legally Bay (Snippets) had such a rapport with Fastnet Rock that, bar one season, she visited him eight years in succession. This is just one outside example of repeated loyalty.

“Sometimes we have partners in these mares and that plays a part in this discussion as well,” Freyer said. “But if you take a mare like Response, who has been a number of times to Snitzel, and she’ll go again to Snitzel this year, she’s got a colt by The Autumn Sun right now who is arguably the nicest yearling on the farm, so we do mix it up a little bit.

“But then you’ve got a mare like Salutations. She’s had Super Seth by Dundeel and a couple of really nice other horses by Dundeel. You don’t have these mares forever and, as a daughter of Redoute’s Choice going to one of our own horses, what do you go to if you don’t go back there?”

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? These continued unions at Arrowfield have, over the years, delivered such horses as the Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth, as mentioned, and the Thousand Guineas winner Yearning, along with the Kingston Town Classic winner Truly Great (Dundeel {NZ}). These are three of many.

“Rising Romance is a good example,” Freyer said. “Her first foal was Yearning, her second foal was Magic who’s placed in a Silver Slipper, and both were expensive yearlings. So why not? She clearly suits that stallion (Snitzel) so it’s almost a risk not to rather than a risk to.”

In this vein, Arrowfield has planned several of its Maurice matings, but equally, the team has worked out that the Japanese shuttler goes best with a certain physical type, and many of his bookings will pivot on that.

For example, Love Is Fickle (Redoute’s Choice), the dam of Hitotsu, and Banksia (Redoute’s Choice), the dam of the Maurice stakes winners Bank Maur and Namesake, are both booked to Maurice, as is the Group 3 winner Mallory (Not A Single Doubt).

“In many respects, we think that not a small mare, but a neater, well-muscled mare suits Maurice ideally,” Freyer said. “And that’s the Banksia, Love Is Fickle, Mallory and Flying Evelyn type that really suit him. Obviously, the Danehill nick is working really well and Danehill loves an outcross, so that’s continually worked for him and it’s been a successful formula.”

Hitotsu emerges

The dual Derby winner Hitotsu is an interesting addition to Arrowfield’s barn this spring. His announcement was late, coming in June and a couple of months after most rosters in Australia had already been set.

Hitotsu’s arrival at Arrowfield has been marketed as a homecoming of sorts. The horse was bred at Arrowfield and sold by Arrowfield as a yearling, and he is one of the farm’s four stallions (alongside The Autumn Sun, Castelvecchio and Showtime) to bear the Arrowfield brand.

He has commenced his stud career this month at $22,000 (inc GST), and Freyer said it’s been fun marketing the horse to Australian breeders. Hitotsu will get 32 of Arrowfield’s mare across the spring by such bloodlines as Deep Impact (Jpn), Hussonet (USA), More Than Ready (USA) and locals Pierro, I Am Invincible and Dundeel, to name a few.

Among them are the Group winners I Am Serious (Choisir) and Angel Of Mercy (Hussonet {USA}), the latter the dam of Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun) who could be upcoming in the G1 Flight S.

Kirovskaya (French Deputy {USA}) is also booked to Hitotsu, the dam of the dual Group 3 winner Irithea (Snitzel).

Gallery: Some of the mares visiting Hitotsu in 2023, images courtesy of Sportpix

Also among them is the Any Given Saturday (USA) mare Fortiche, and she is interesting because she has already produced the G3 Up And Coming S. winner Kibou with Hitotsu’s sire, Maurice.

In this instance, Fortiche is a good fit for Hitotsu because she has already clicked with the sireline, but Freyer admits that the Danehill-Redoute’s Choice nick with Maurice obviously won’t happen so closely for his son.

“We can’t rely on that with Hitotsu because he’s out of a Redoute’s Choice mare,” Freyer said. “We’re putting a few mares to him that carry Redoute’s Choice blood, either by Snitzel or Zoustar and so on, so we might be inbreeding 3x4, or something like that. That’s worked very well across the board, inbreeding to Redoute’s Choice, and it’s certainly been a positive for Zoustar.

“So we kind of think that it’s something we should investigate in Hitotsu’s first season, and I notice that outside breeders have nominated several mares that carry Redoute’s Choice blood.”

Hitotsu is one of those sire-son combinations that will need to work around its obvious nick. He’s bred on that “big Maurice-Redoute’s nick” so it’s largely taken out of play with him.

However, Freyer said the reception to the new stallion has been really enjoyable. Breeders are genuinely curious about the horse that was the first animal since Mahogany (Last Tycoon {Ire}) in 1994 to complete the Victoria Derby-Australian Guineas-Australian Derby treble.

“He is so admired by people and it’s been gratifying to see the response we’ve got for him,” Freyer said. “People really admired him as a racehorse and they’re keen to breed to him. A few of the big breeders are sending one, two and three mares, so I’m certain he’ll fill a full book.”

The brilliant ones

When it comes to Arrowfield’s big names, like 21-year-old Snitzel and 14-year-old Dundeel, you’d be forgiven for thinking these horses are on auto-pilot.

“Snitzel, he’s just always there, isn’t he?” Freyer said, and he’s right. The veteran stallion was Champion 2-Year-Old Sire yet again last season, and his salering returns are as healthy as ever. Proverbially, he’s as bankable as death and taxes.

Dundeel, on the other hand, is a Champion Sire in waiting, according to Freyer who said that that accolade could even eventuate this season.

“He looks and feels like a Champion Sire in waiting, and that could even be this season,” he said. “He’s just established himself now as a horse capable of getting these brilliant 2-year-olds, along with these brilliant 3-year-olds. He’s got so much great work in store that he’s a horse we have tremendous faith in, and we’re sending some of our very best mares to him.”

Aside from the aforementioned Salutations and Truly Special, some of the interesting bookings to Dundeel include Sarraqa (Snitzel), the dam of the promising filly Celestial Legend (Dundeel {NZ}), who was second to the pricey Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar) on debut in May, and then a winner at his next city start.

Also booked is Arcadia Queen (Pierro), the triple Group 1 winner who was picked up by Arrowfield at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $3.2 million.

“The outside mares that are coming to him this year are again a step-up in quality to what they’ve previously been,” Freyer said. “There’s a lot of very special mares that will visit him this year. When it was apparent that he was capable of such horses as co-Champion 2-Year-Old Militarize, plus four other Group 1-performed 2-year-olds in that one crop, everybody quickly worked out how remarkable and versatile Dundeel really is. There are not many stallions in the country that are capable of what he’s doing.”

To affirm the variety of Dundeel’s potential, this spring he is getting mares by Redoute’s Choice, Snitzel, Street Cry (Ire), Not A Single Doubt, Foxwedge, Dubawi (Ire) and so on. He will also serve half-sisters to both Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) and Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).

Sun keeps shining

The Autumn Sun finished last season comfortably in the top 10 of Australian freshman sires (sixth), and it will come as no surprise to anyone that Arrowfield’s attitude towards him being a Redoute’s Choice heir apparent hasn’t changed.

The Autumn Sun is an Arrowfield product from top to bottom, and the operation has committed to him such mares as the Group winner Missybeel and the Group-producing Grisi (Street Cry {Ire}). Also booked is Miss Dodwell (Falbrav {Ire}), the dam of the multiple Group winners Kenedna (Not A Single Doubt) and Spill The Beans.

“The Autumn Sun has done a great job with his first crop,” Freyer said. “Looking at it just the other day, he’s got five horses in the betting for the Flight S., which is just incredible. Every week that goes by, there’s an impressive winner. The market likes him, the breeders like him and the trainers, in particular, like what they’ve got. I think he’s going to have a tremendous season this year.”

Freyer said that The Autumn Sun has produced some very nice individuals by damsires More Than Ready, I Am Invincible, and a couple from a Savabeel mare the team has especially liked.

“There haven’t been any particular crosses that have jumped out at us yet but it’s early days,” Freyer said. “The Autumn Sun has had only 20 or so runners, but of the physicals that we’ve seen, those would be the ones we’d be leaning towards.”

Committing to each

The remaining stallions for Arrowfield pack plenty of punch. There’s Admire Mars (Jpn), who has returned for a third season in Australia and whose marketing map is largely focused on education.

Admire Mars is by Daiwa Major (Jpn), a horse about whom not much is known widely in Australian circles. Therefore, Freyer said that the same tactics are in play as were for Maurice earlier in his career re informing breeders about what he has to offer.

Admire Mars will get such mares as Adamina (Snitzel), who has a very nice type by the shuttler heading to the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. It was off the strength of that yearling that the decision was made to send the mare once again to Admire Mars.

The stallion will also get the mare Cat By The Tale (USA) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) for a half-sibling to the stakes winner Petronius (Redoute’s Choice), and the G3 Epona S. winner Aliyana Tilde (Snitzel), among anothers.

Castelvecchio, equally, will cover an interesting book of pedigrees for Arrowfield. Without a crop of racing age just yet, the son of Dundeel will be among the first-season sires in the next few months.

Booked to him are such Japanese pedigrees as Presque Isle (Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}), who is the dam of the G1 Tenno Sho winner Just A Way (Jpn), and also the Smart Missile mare Keiai Tsubaki.

“We’re expecting his first crop of 2-year-olds to be sharp,” Freyer said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of them out before Christmas. We’re very confident now as to what we’ll get when we mate to Castelvecchio. He’s pretty consistent and he gets quite a neat, strong, readymade horse.

“We’re sending 30-odd mares to these stallions each year generally, so you get a very clear picture of what you can reasonably expect by a certain mating... a certain physical from a certain bloodline, and so on. Of all the stallions we stand, probably Castelvecchio is the most consistent in that respect, in that our confidence level in what we’re going to get is very high.”

Which brings Freyer to Showtime, a stallion he admitted is workmanlike, full of potential and a horse Arrowfield firmly stands behind.

The son of Snitzel will cover half-sisters to In Her Time (Time Thief), the dual Group winner Junoob (GB) (GB) (Haafhd {GB}) and the Group 3 winner Bachman (All American). He will also cover the Savabeel mare Sewreel (NZ), herself a half-sister to the Group 2-winning Fabric (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

“Showtime is a bit like a Not A Single Doubt in a lot of ways,” Freyer said. “He’s probably going to be a slow burn but we’ve got a real fancy for him. Those sorts of horses, like Not A Single Doubt, they start at a lesser fee and have to do it the hard way. I think Showtime could be the horse that is capable of doing something like that.”

Table: Some of the matings Arrowfield are planning in 2023