Melbourne breeders Robert and Deborah Anderson had a big say in another stakes winning weekend for Arrowfield Stud’s champion sire Redoute’s Choice.
They bred and race Bonaria who carried topweight of 58.5kg to victory in the G3 Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. The Redoute’s Choice mare won the same race last year and her overall record from 32 starts includes 7 wins and 9 placings for $579,000 in prizemoney.
“She’s all heart, she puts her head down and she just goes,” Anderson said. “When you breed a horse, watch her grow and then win Group races, it’s pretty satisfying.”
Trainer Pat Hyland will now prepare her for the Group 1 Coolmore Classic on March 22 and G1 Queen of the Turf Stakes on April 19.
“I bought her dam Decidity from Ron Gilbert, a great mate of mine, at Highrove Stud, and sent her to Redoute’s Choice in 2007,” Robert recalled. “She was a lightly-framed filly and I was unsure whether to keep or sell her, but I’ve always liked the smaller Redoute’s Choice fillies and Decidity was getting older, so luckily I kept her. And she’s grown, got better and stronger each year.”
Robert has a busy and successful professional life as director of GWA Group Ltd and is an active investor in several other businesses, but breeding and racing thoroughbreds has been his hobby for around 30 years.
“I always loved horses as a kid, played polocross and studied breeding around the world. I started with tried horses, then bought cheap yearlings and won a few races with them.
“Later I was able to buy into better families and I now keep about 25 mares, buying a couple of yearlings and a couple of USA mares each year.”
Decidity is also the dam of Group winners Time Out and Legally Bay and she has a yearling filly by Stratum which Robert and Deborah have retained. The mare is in foal again to the Golden Slipper-winning son of Redoute’s Choice.
The Redoute’s Choice – Last Tycoon cross is responsible for 10 stakes winners including Group 1 winners Dariana and Master of Design from only 40 named foals.
That nick also Provence, the dam of Saturday’s South African stakes winner Banaadeer. The unbeaten More Than Ready colt stepped up to stakes company for another runaway victory in the LR Storm Bird Stakes at Turffontein.
“I bought Provence as a yearling from Arrowfield,” Anderson explained. “I love a great walker and I thought she was the best walker in their draft that year.”
That assessment proved accurate. Provence was a Listed winner at Flemington and has left top Hong Kong performer Admiration and Banaadeer from only four foals to race.
BONARIA
Redoute’s Choice mare wins a second G3 Matron Stakes at Flemington
Photo: Arrowfield / Bronwen Healy