Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
On Monday, Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock Australia joined forces with Queensland’s Telemon Stud to launch the stud career of the impressive 2-year-old colt Red Resistance.
The son of Russian Revolution will stand the upcoming season for $11,000 (inc GST) with a select number of lifetime breeding rights available.
An elite juvenile, Red Resistance won the G3 Canonbury S., emulating the likes of successful stallions, Not A Single Doubt and Sebring. This success saw the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt head into the G1 Golden Slipper as a leading contender.
Red Resistance | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
However, Red Resistance was scratched on the morning of the 2023 Golden Slipper due to illness. At the time, his co-trainer Adrian Bott commented, “We’re devastated not to be able to run him. We know what it takes to win a Slipper, and this colt was right up to the mark.”
Perfect fit for Queensland
The handsome Go Bloodstock-bred bay colt, Red Resistance, is the second foal from the brilliant mare Heatherly, a daughter of Lonhro. Heatherly was a top-class runner, winning six races, including the G2 Rubiton S., the Listed Bob Hoysted, and the Listed Carlyon S. Additionally, she was placed in the G1 Oakleigh Plate and the G1 AJ Moir S. She hails from the family of the talented Linton (Galileo {Ire}), a victor of the G1 Stradbroke H., the G2 Alister Clark S., and placed in the G1 Australian Cup, the G1 Australian Guineas, and the G1 BMW S.
Go Bloodstock’s Steve O’Connor explained the decision to partner with Dan Fletcher’s Telemon Thoroughbreds: “In standing Red Resistance, Sir Owen was adamant he wanted to give our colt the best opportunity with a focus on his elite 2-year-old speed. Telemon is a perfect fit. The farm has an illustrious honour roll, and our partnership places him in a Queensland market and mare population focused on juvenile speed.
Heatherly | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“Red Resistance is ready-made to complement the Queensland mare population and produce precocious talent like himself. We feel this will give him every opportunity to be a leading national first-season sire and ultimately a significant stallion.”
Telemon Thoroughbreds’ Dan Fletcher chatted with TTR AusNZ about the latest exciting acquisition to the roster: “We’re very excited to get hold of a horse of Red Resistance’s calibre. He was right up to the mark with the very best 2-year-olds of his generation. So, it’s fantastic to have him join us at Telemon Thoroughbreds.
“Red Resistance is ready-made to complement the Queensland mare population and produce precocious talent like himself. We feel this will give him every opportunity to be a leading national first-season sire and ultimately a significant stallion.” - Steve O’Connor
"The big thing for us is what he brings as a type. It’s not easy for a colt to stand out when you line them up against the elite of the elites that populate the best farms in the country, but this bloke does. He’s an incredibly attractive horse and we’re privileged to have him”.
Support pledged to Resistance
Fletcher explained how the opportunity to stand Red Resistance came about, “The conversation was initiated by Sir Owen Glenn and his team at Go Bloodstock. It’s interesting because the horse was very much on my radar, and he didn’t need any introduction when they sort of sounded us out.
“I was very familiar with Red Resistance, and to be honest, he was a colt in my mind that was probably of such a high calibre that I didn’t even really entertain a scenario where he could have been attainable for us.
“So, it’s amazing they were able to come up with a structure which is enabling us to sort of form a joint venture and get hold of him.”
Despite not winning a Group 1 race, Red Resistance showcased Group 1 ability and form, having beaten Shinzo in the G3 Canonbury S. and then placed in the G2 Todman S. to Cylinder and beating the triple Group 1 winner Militarize (NZ).
As Fletcher explained through the deeds of stallions such as Not A Single Doubt and I Am Invincible, a horse can retire without the Group 1 tag and be a successful stallion, "What’s so important is we’ve sort of come to recognise that the Group designation is not the be all and end all. There are plenty of precedents for horses that have been successful at stud without being Group 1 winners, but I think what they had in common was that they had established Group 1 ability.
“It’s really no fault of the horse that he didn’t get to fulfil his ability and actually attain that level on the racecourse, so he has retired very untapped and lightly raced.
“There are plenty of precedents for horses that have been successful at stud without being Group 1 winners, but I think what they had in common was that they had established Group 1 ability.” - Dan Fletcher
“Those unfortunate circumstances for the horse and his connections have really played into our favour and for us, he wouldn’t be attainable otherwise.”
With a strong backing of shareholders, including Sir Owen Glenn’s outstanding broodmare band, Red Resistance will receive momentous support in his debut season.
“It’s a really critical aspect for us to have shareholder support behind the horse; it’s so important. Sir Owen’s broodmare band is probably second to none, and they’ve really got a deep commitment to supporting the horse, as have other shareholders and us,” Fletcher told TTR AusNZ.
Dan Fletcher | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We’re going to be boots and all behind him, and we’re going to try and bring as many people with us as we can, and that’s just going to be really critical for his success.
“We’re parochial Queenslanders and as much as I see Red Resistance as a horse with national significance, to have him standing in our backyard is just another marker for the depth of our commitment, and also from Sir Owen and his team at Go Bloodstock.”
Sir Owen added, ‘‘Red Resistance is a horse dear to me and Go Bloodstock. We purchased his dam Heatherly specifically to visit Russian Revolution. Highly rated as a yearling, he delivered on the racetrack and was unlucky to miss the Golden Slipper when Gai rated him a winning chance. We believe in Red Resistance and will support him accordingly.”
