Cover image courtesy of France Galop
There was a buzz around the Francis Graffard debutante Primetime Emmy (Extreme Choice) at Deauville on Sunday, and a good deal of that was to do with her breeding. The filly, born on January 27 two years ago, was the second ever runner by Extreme Choice born on Northern Hemisphere time and she would soon be his first winner from that small crop born in the early months of 2024.
Sporting the silks of Hollymount Stud France, the filly wasted no time in getting to the front in the Prix de Lisieux, over the same course and distance as the G1 Prix Morny, and had the race sewn up with 300 metres to go.
Hitting the line strong under Mickael Barzalona, the half-sister to the Group 3 winner Thurlow (Sebring) recorded a stylish two and a half-length success from the Lerners' Amnesia (Showcasing) who was in turn a short head in front of the Alessandro Botti-trained Divina Fe (Calyx).
Sandblom's challenge
Bred by Matthew Sandblom’s Kingstar Farm, Graffard revealed the story behind the filly ending up in France.
“Her owner-breeder Matthew Sandblom loves Extreme Choice, who is already a champion in Australia, and he gave me this challenge to help prove him internationally,” he said.
“Her (Primetime Emmy) owner-breeder Matthew Sandblom loves Extreme Choice... and he gave me this challenge to help prove him internationally.” - Francis Graffard
Sandblom's association with Extreme Choice has been a particularly fruitful one. Under the Kingstar banner, he bred both the sire's G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Stay Inside, now installed beside his father at Newgate, and the sire's G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night, who joins Yulong's New South Wales roster this spring, plus G3 The Vanity victress Wollombi. He is also the co-breeder of this season's G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude winner Estremo and G2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Berzelius.
“I have two fillies who arrived in the spring and they needed time to recover from the journey and this one has been really picking up recently.”
Francis-Henri Graffard | Image courtesy of Graffard Racing
He added, “we have some nice 2-year-olds, but over this six furlongs she is very interesting. I think there is a lot of improvement to come from her and Mickael said she was nice and relaxed and accelerated when he asked.
“She is entered in the Prix de Cabourg and will obviously be back here in August.”
A stallion for both hemispheres
Extreme Choice was announced earlier this year to be standing on Northern Hemisphere time at his home of Newgate Farm, but 2026 wasn’t his first year to cover mares in both hemispheres’ breeding seasons.
“He's just a phenomenon,” is how Newgate’s Henry Field described the stallion at the time of the announcement.
“He's (Extreme Choice) just a phenomenon.” - Henry Field
Henry Field | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Extreme Choice also covered a limited Northern Hemisphere book in 2023 for connections, yielding five fillies including Primetime Emmy born in Australia in the first months of 2024. A sixth - Exchange Student (Ire) - was born in Ireland after the export of her dam, Sweet Strike (USA) (Smart Strike {Can}).
Primetime Emmy is a daughter of Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes winner Princess Emmy (NZ) (King’s Chapel), who has already produced the aforementioned Group winner Thurlow and the Listed-winning Three Kings (Sebring). She was sent to France in April to be trained by Graffard alongside Extreme Dream, also bred by Matthew Sandblom under the Kingstar Farm banner.
Princess Emmy (NZ) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Thurlow has contributed to the Extreme Choice story in her own way with Half Pipe, a first crop son of Extreme Choice’s Victorian-based son Extreme Warrior. The Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained colt won at the second time of asking last week, giving his sire a third first crop winner. Thurlow returned to the stallion in the spring.
“With the versatility that he has, there would be reason to think he would work in any country, because his progeny seem to handle any kind of ground and any distance,” Field said back in March.
“With the versatility that he (Extreme Choice) has, there would be reason to think he would work in any country." - Henry Field
“He's just got a phenomenal change-up speed and turn of foot so I don't think it matters what country his progeny would race in. He could be equally as extraordinary (anywhere).”
A well-earned opinion
Primetime Emmy is just the stallion’s second runner in the Northern Hemisphere, and the stable’s opinion of her matches what Extreme Choice’s connections think of him. Amongst his 48 Australian winners this season are five individual stakes winners, taking his total to 19 from 162 career runners - a rate of over 11%.
Extreme Choice | Standing at Newgate Farm
Of his three sire sons to have their first 2-year-olds this season, two - Stay Inside and Extreme Warrior - have produced stakes winners, while the third - Tiger Of Malay - has produced six winners including dual Listed-placed Momentslikethese and $450,000 earner Tigroni.
Extreme Choice's fee has risen to $385,000 inc GST for the 2026 season, equalling the all-time record fee for Australia, in recognition of his offspring’s accomplishment. According to the stud book, 27 mares have visited him in 2026, 13 in January and 14 on dates traditionally in the Northern Hemisphere breeding season.
The owners of the 13 mares visiting in January have been vindicated in their decision - both in the sales ring and on the track in recent months.
Recent Rosehill winner Omolong, born on December 19, has the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes in his sights. The sire’s top seller at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale was a daughter of Group 3-winning Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) born on December 18, who sold to Michael Freedman Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $580,000.
Omolong | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
The owners of the other 14 - whose number includes dual Listed winner and stakes producer Our Crown Mistress (Star Witness), Peruvian Group 1 winner Quinta Nota (USA) (Tale Of Ekati {USA}), and the Flying Dutchmen's dual Grade 3 winner Pounce (USA) (Lookin At Lucky {USA}) - can look to Primetime Emmy as the first proof that they are on the right track.
Of the three 2024-born fillies left in Australia bred on Northern Hemisphere time, two are named; Faldo, bred by Gerry Harvey from the close family of Danelagh (Danehill {USA}) and Pinot (Pierro), is in the stable of Tom Charlton and Sheez My Choice was a $160,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale purchase for First Light Racing, Kestrel Thoroughbreds, and her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
