Arrowfield Stud champion Flying Spur has been withdrawn from service.  The 20 year-old son of Danehill has experienced a sudden and irreversible decline in fertility.

“Flying Spur is a very special horse for us, as we bred him, raced him in partnership and have been proud to stand him since 1997,” Arrowfield Chairman John Messara said.  “He is one of the pillars upon which Arrowfield Stud has been built and his home will be here with us for the rest of his life.”

Flying Spur was a G1 winner of the STC Golden Slipper, VRC Australian Guineas and AJC All Aged Stakes.  He began his stud career in 1996 and has been based at Arrowfield since returning from a one-off reverse shuttle to Ireland in 1997.

The first of several titles arrived when he was crowned Australia’s Champion First Season Sire in 1999-2000.  He reigned as Australian Champion Sire in 2006-07 with total prizemoney of $10.40 million.  That was the year of Forensics (STC Golden Slipper), Sleek Chassis (MRC Blue Diamond), Magnus (AJC Galaxy ), Mentality (AJC Royal Randwick Guineas) and 13 other stakes winners.

To date Flying Spur has sired 86 stakes winners, 12 of them successful at Group 1 level.  Sale-ring results have been equally impressive.  His 931 yearlings sold in Australia & New Zealand since 1999 have averaged $128,346, and 21 have fetched $500,000 or more.

Flying Spur is already the damsire of four Group 1 winners among 33 stakes winners, and his son Casino Prince was last season’s Champion First Season Sire in Australia with progeny including Saturday’s Caulfield Guineas G1 winner All Too Hard.

“We are very grateful to the Flying Spur Syndicate, and the breeders, buyers, owners and trainers who have supported him over the past 17 years,” Messara added.  “However, with more than 250 current 2YOs, yearlings and foals, Flying Spur’s story is far from over and his sought-after broodmare daughters and emerging sire sons will ensure he appears in top-class pedigrees for years to come.”