Impeccably bred stallion Coubertin has been retired to Greta West Stud in Victoria. A son of Redoute’s Choice, he is out of AJC Oaks winner Circles Of Gold who has also foaled the Group 1 winning stallions Haradasun and Elvstroem.
Greta West owners Laurie and John McCarthy will stand the horse in conjunction with his breeders Frank Tagg, Garry Moffitt and Frank Meduri. His service fee has been set at $4,400 (inc gst).
Coubertin (4h Redoute’s Choice – Circles Of Gold by Marscay) is a striking 16.1hh stallion named after the father of the modern Olympics – Baron de Coubertin. He won at Sale and Seymour before a leg injury intervened. He is the fourth son of Circles Of Gold to embark on a stud career joining Elvstroem (Blue Gum), Haradasun (Coolmore) and Gold Centre (NZ).
Redoute’s Choice is making a major impact as a sire of sires through Not A Single Doubt, Al Samer, Bradbury’s Luck, God’s Own, Legion, Snitzel, Stratum, Legion and Stromberg Carlson.
Circles Of Gold won the 1995 AJC Oaks and was runner-up in the 1996 Caulfield Cup. Tony Vasil prepared Elvstroem and Haradasun and he believed Coubertin would have been her next feature winner.
“Circles Of Gold is the equivalent of New Zealand’s Eight Carat,” Vasil said after Coubertin won his maiden. “She just keeps throwing class horses. Even those who haven’t had the racetrack success of Elvstroem and Haradasun have been beautiful types with talent. She is all quality and she puts that into her progeny.
“Coubertin was a huge foal and looks more of a stayer. He was slow to mature and didn’t show the turn of foot of Elvstroem and Haradasun. But he is a better mover than the other two.
“Elvstroem started an amazing ride for both Frank and me. He changed our lives. And then Haradasun came along and we went on another glory ride. Now we are looking forward to Coubertin.”
Unfortunately, a suspensory ligament injury curtailed his career after just seven starts.
Coubertin’s family received another important update in February when Starspangledbanner won the G1 Oakleigh Plate. His second dam National Song (Vain) is a half-sister to Circles Of Gold.
Coubertin will join Dangerous (Danehill), Man Of Illusion (Encosta de Lago) and King Of Prussia (Anabaa) on the Greta West roster.