Arrowfield young guns target Golden Slipper

Arrowfield sires have been the benchmark in the juvenile division this year.  In fact, it’s been a moving feast for the stud’s young guns Starcraft, Snitzel, Charge Forward and Not A Single Doubt.

Starcraft led home an Arrowfield trifecta in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes on February 20 when his brilliant colt Star Witness came from the clouds to claim Victoria’s premier juvenile race from Shaaheq and Beneteau.  Both placegetters are by Arrowfield’s alpha male Redoute’s Choice.

Star Witness (2c Starcraft – Leone Chiara by Lion Hunter) has been put away for the spring.  “I’ve got a lot of confidence in this colt,” trainer Danny O’Brien said.  “He does things that only top class horses can do.”

Starcraft was an international G1 winner in Australia, New Zealand, France and England.  He began stud life at England’s Cheveley Park in 2006 but is now based full time at Arrowfield.

Chance Bye (2f Snitzel – Rouge Femme by Red Ransom) passed her toughest test with flying colours when she won the G2 STC Silver Slipper Stakes on February 27.

“She was short of a run today,” part-owner and trainer Michael Tubman said after watching his filly defeat Ambers Waltz by 1.5 lengths.  “We are in the Golden Slipper and the others are in trouble.  She is getting better all the time.”

Snitzel was retired to Arrowfield after a career that included a G1 victory in the MRC Oakleigh Plate against older sprinters including Takeover Target.  He had been a precocious juvenile in his own right winning the G3 AJC Breeders’ Plate on debut.

A son of Redoute’s Choice, he now leads the Australian first-season sire’s premiership with 6 individual winners and earnings over $840,000.

Arrowfield champion first-season stallion Charge Forward can sire another juvenile feature winner this Saturday when Solar Charged starts in the G3 Kindergarten Stakes at Warwick Farm.

Charge Forward sired a Group 1 winning filly Headway in his first crop and he could have another in the second.  His Makybe filly is from a mare by Danehill’s Golden Slipper winner Flying Spur while Solar Charged is out of the Danehill mare Soul Singer.

The John O’Shea trained filly raced away to a five length victory in the Jim Beam Handicap at Randwick on debut in November.  She clocked a class record 57.97s for 1000 metres.

“She’s the most impressive juvenile I’ve ever won on,” jockey Corey Brown said.  “The top of the ladder by far.  We were highballing and she quickened off a hot tempo.  It was amazing.”

Solar Charged (Red Ransom) is raced by owner-breeder Peter Horwitz whose colours have already been carried to victory in a Golden Slipper by Sir Dapper.

Horwitz also raced Charge Forward who captured the G2 Todman Slipper Trial but was denied a G1 when beaten a short-neck by Dance Hero in the 2004 Golden Slipper.  He stands for a $27,500 fee at Arrowfield.

Solar Charged’s second dam is the Sir Dapper mare Aretha.  She was a Listed winner of the Crown Lager Stakes at Moonee Valley on the same day Almaarad won the 1989 Cox Plate.

Randwick trainer John O’Shea holds the key to the Golden Slipper.  He prepares Solar Charged and Amber Waltz who was runner-up to Chance Bye in the Silver Slipper.  If Solar Charged has a couple of lengths on her stablemate then we will have a new Golden Slipper favourite after the Kindergarten.

Chance Bye is currently a $6 favourite for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper on April 3.  Solar Charged and Beneteau are on the second line at $7.

ARROWFIELD will stand Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) alongside his champion half brother Redoute’s Choice.  

“Manhattan Rain is a lightly raced Group 1 winner by a champion stallion out of a champion broodmare,” John Messara said.  “Redoute’s Choice is an outstanding success at stud and we are delighted his owner Muzaffar Yaseen has seen fit to place this colt’s stud career in Arrowfield’s care.”

Manhattan Rain’s only unplaced runs were at his last two starts in the Royal Sovereign Stakes at Randwick and the Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill.

Manhattan Rain became his sire’s first G1 winning 2YO colt when he triumphed in the 2009 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick.  He was also won the G3 Skyline Stakes and was placed in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes and G1 Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old.

Last spring Manhattan Rain finished third in the G1 Caulfield Guineas and second in the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.  He goes to stud with placings in 9 of his 11 starts and career earnings over $1.3 million.

HOOFNOTES

SHAAQEH can turn the tables on her rivals in the G3 TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.  Darley’s Redoute’s Choice filly is trained at Lindsay Park and deserves a change of luck after being runner-up four times in four starts.

UNANIMOUSLY will be one of favourites in the Listed Black Opal Stakes at Canberra this Sunday.  He is by Not A Single Doubt and was a dominant winner on debut at Canberra a fortnight ago.

SHRAPNEL is another recent Charge Forward stakes winner for Arrowfield.  He races for John Messara, Blue Sky Thoroughbreds and Ron Gilbert and was a G3 winner of the Marsh Breeders’ Classic at Morphettville on February 27.  The colt is trained by Mark Kavanagh and is a younger half-brother to Wanted who has been signed to stand at Widden Stud.