Redoute’s Choice’s individual Group 1 winner tally grew to 15 on Saturday when Musir scored an emphatic victory in the Golden Horseshoe at the Durban July Hcp meeting in South Africa.

The Arrowfield sire’s last Group 1 had been in March when Gallica won the SAJC Australasian Oaks at Morphettville.

Musir (2c Redoute’s Choice – Dizzy De Lago by Encosta De Lago) was one of four starters for trainer Mike de Kock and stable jockey Anthony Delpech picked the Australian bred colt as his mount ahead of the others.

Delpech’s decision was a winning one.  Musir was always well placed and he positively flew past pacemaker August Rush in the straight to score by three lengths from Straight Forward (Toreador) and fellow Australian bred colt Exclaim ‘N’ Exclude (Exceed And Excel).

Musir is raced by owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum who put a $1 million reserve on him at the 2008 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.  The colt was passed-in when bidding reached $900,000.

Shipped to South Africa, Musir had won on debut at Clairwood in May and was runner-up to stalemate Solid Choice (Redoute’s Choice) back there in the Gatecrasher Stakes (LR) last month.

Solid Choice (2c Redoute’s Choice – Venetian Pride by Gone West) is also a Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa homebred.  He drew an outside gate in the Golden Horseshoe and lost no admirers with a decent fourth on a day when the winner was simply in a different class.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa is a first cousin of the current ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.  His most successful runner in Australia has been Murtajill (Rock Of Gibraltar) who is now based at stud at Patinack Farm.  He was a black-type winner of the Breeders’ Plate and Skyline Stakes at Randwick.

de Kock is already making plans to send his two Redoute’s Choice colts to the UAE for next season’s Dubai Racing Carnival.