Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Extreme Choice is only a young stallion, retiring to stud in 2017 and has 16 stakes winners from small crops. He hit a new benchmark on Saturday with his sire son Stay Inside siring the G3 Breeders’ Plate winner Incognito.
“What a magic day. It was so great to have all our partners in the box with us (at Randwick). Many of them raced Extreme Choice with us and others then raced Stay Inside with us,” said Newgate Farm’s Bruce Slade.
“To be there with those great supporters and enjoy the generational success was a proud day for the farm.”
Bruce Slade | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Stay Inside hits all the markers
Extreme Choice’s G1 Golden Slipper winning son Stay Inside has hit all the benchmarks at each stage of his career. From winning Australia’s biggest juvenile Group 1 race to selling a seven-figure yearling in his first crop, and now with a stakes winner on the first day of juvenile racing for the season.
Incognito won the G3 Breeders’ Plate on Saturday to become Stay Inside’s first stakes winner. He was also a seven-figure yearling – making headlines for his sire when walking into the ring at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“Extreme Choice’s best credential son produces a Group winner on debut and the Breeders’ Plate looks like a strong form race this year,” said Slade.
“Having Incognito selected by James Harron who was a big part of the start of Newgate was also fantastic, and added another element of enjoyment for the whole team. “Stay Inside is a young sire with huge expectations on him. He sired a $1 million colt from his first crop and for (that colt) to come out and be the horse on the day gives us more confidence.
“The market loves it when the ones who look like the ones, are the ones who can gallop, and that gives everyone confidence going forward.”
Incognito | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sold by Eureka Stud, Incognito was bought by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership and Tony Fung Investments for $1 million. Eureka spoke to TTR about Incognito’s 2025 half-brother for a recent Foal Focus.
Harron hopes for another Slipper
Incognito will be spelled by trainer Michael Freedman and set for the G1 Golden Slipper, aiming to give his sire a runner, and hopefully a winner, in the same race that put him on the map. Harron's Colt Partnerships have already won the Golden Slipper with Capitalist.
“It was fantastic. Myself and my partners were very impressed with the progeny of Stay Inside, and we were very keen to get our hands on them,” said Harron.
“We bought three this year and obviously Incognito being one of those. They just got fantastic temperaments, are really willing horses and they just want to race. All the reports we’ve had on ours have been glowing. Incognito was easy to deal with, and we keep hearing how clever they are and just accept their job. I think the stallion has made a fantastic start and there’s a lot more to come.
James Harron | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“It’s very early but Stay Inside can’t do any more than this. You only have to list to a lot of stables to know that they have a high opinion of what they’ve seen so far.”
With Harron so active across the yearling sales, TTR asked if he had seen similarities between the Stay Inside yearlings and his sire Extreme Choice.
“Extreme Choice has such a small number of yearlings every year so it's always quite hard to get a real line on them. Stay Inside had a much larger number and they sold extremely well as you would've seen. It’s been no surprise to us because he had a lovely line up of horses that presented really well.”
Stay Inside | Standing at Newgate Stud Farm
Extreme Choice gets another Group 1 winner
While the juvenile focus is on Stay Inside, it was his sire Extreme Choice who added another Group 1 to his impressive record with Apocalyptic winning the G1 Flight Stakes.
“Apocalyptic looks top class for Extreme Choice. She’s a Group 1 winner over a mile to go with his juvenile winners, his Cup winner, well, he’s got the whole spectrum covered and we can’t say enough about him and how important he is to Newgate Farm,” said Slade.
“Extreme Choice is so versatile. He’s done everything off tiny numbers and genuinely will go down in history as one of the best stallions in Australia,” Henry Field of Newgate Farm told TTR a few weeks ago.
“It’s so frustrating to manage him with small numbers, but he’s also so extraordinary that we are fortunate to have him. He keeps delivering. Michael Freedman’s filly (Apocalyptic) is obviously very special. She’s the kind of filly who could achieve anything.”
Apocalyptic | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
And achieve anything she did with a third successive group win on Saturday in the G1 Flight Stakes. She becomes the sixth Group 1 winner for Extreme Choice, which is extraordinary given that he has only 137 runners.
His other Group 1 winners are Stay Inside, G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night, G1 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice, dual Group 1 winner She’s Extreme, G1 Coolmore Classic winner Espiona, and now G1 Flight Stakes winner Apocalyptic.
Group 1 winner 69 for Coolmore
Apocalyptic was sold by Coolmore Stud at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and purchased by MyRacehorse, Michael Freedman, and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock for $400,000.
“We sold her on behalf of Kate Nivison who also sold a full brother at Easter this year for $1.7 million,” said Coolmore’s Tom Moore.
“She was a big filly, scopier than a lot of the Extreme Choice yearlings and $400,000 was above the sale average, so she was a popular filly. She’s a nice filly who showed a lot at two and has improved at three. It’s indicative of what she looked like as a yearling, she’s really lived up to those looks with a strong mile yesterday.”
Coolmore Stud has fashioned a strong record from their Jerry’s Plains property. “She was the 69th Group 1 winning graduate off the farm. It’s a big thrill for us to play a part in her career and great to get that for Kate who has been a supporter of Coolmore for a long time.”
Tom Moore | Image courtesy of Coolmore
Apocalyptic is the second foal and second winner for unraced Shadow (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) whose first foal is minor winner Mr Markle (Harry Angel {Ire}). Shadow has an unnamed 2-year-old full brother to Apocalyptic and is carrying a November covering to Pierro.
“The mare is grey and from the family of Virage De Fortune. Kate has a share in Extreme Choice, and she sent the mare back to him to get the $1.7 million colt who is with Chris Waller.”
Shadow is a full sister to G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (f)-placed Geist, and both are out of unraced Wraith (Exceed And Excel), a daughter of dual Group 1 winner Virage De Fortune (Anabaa {USA}) who descends from Champion racemare Emancipation (Bletchingly).
Extreme Warrior, another son of Extreme Choice
The majority of Extreme Choice’s sons are young, with Stay Inside, Tiger Of Malay, and Extreme Warrior all having their first juveniles this season.
Bloodstock agent Suman Hedge loves Extreme Choice too. “Extreme Choice is fast becoming an absolute champion stallion. The legacy he’s leaving with very small numbers is just unreal,” Hedge said.
Extreme Choice | Standing at Newgate Stud Farm
“And Stay Inside has just produced a good horse. It augers well for anything with that sire line.”
Hedge purchase juvenile colt Blandford Baron (Extreme Warrior) for $80,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale from Pepper Tree Farm. “Nick Taylor (Riverstone Farm) has a horse called Blandford Baron who won a jump out recently. We bought him (to pinhook) and took him to the sales. Travis Doudle bought him and Nick ended up having to keep a large part of him.”
Blandford Baron was sold by Riverstone Lodge at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $100,000 to Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) and Travis Doudle.
Blandford Baron | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He’s a horse that shows a lot. He’s not overly big but he’s got a ton of speed. He’ll run next Saturday in Adelaide. I don’t know if he’ll win but he’ll be leading at some point because he’s very fast.
“A client of mine bred an Extreme Warrior filly that ran (on Saturday) in Melbourne. They seem to be smart, early types. They have good brains, and he’s not got big numbers so it’ll be hard for him.”
Extreme Warrior has small numbers, despite serving decent sized books, unfortunately taking after his sire in that regard. Rosemont Stud must be hoping that he will take after Extreme Choice in more ways than one once his 2-year-olds start racing.
Extreme Warrior | Standing at Rosemont Stud
“Blandford Baron is named after Nick because Nick has been spending all this money on farms (around Blandford). Everyone is saying, ‘he’s having a proper crack’, so when he got left with the horse, it seemed a good name. Hopefully he’ll run well.”
