A grandson of Roberto was to arrive for stud duty from Australia Dec. 23 at Darby Dan Farm, the place where the 1971-1972 European champion and leading sire was bred, raised, and stood his entire stud career. Hoping to continue extending Roberto’s legacy is All American, an Australian-bred group I winner who will be entering stud in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time in 2011.
The big brown stallion promises to deliver precocious speed that is adaptable to any racing surface, according to John Phillips, owner of Darby Dan Farm. All American is by Red Ransom out of the Strawberry Road mare Milva, who is a half sister to multiple grade I stakes winner Rock Hard Ten.
“All American raced exclusively on turf, but the horses in his family, like most Robertos, had the ability to perform on all surfaces,” Phillips said. “In this age, I think that makes him particularly appealing. He is a large but not coarse grandson of Roberto. He is an extremely attractive stallion who will sell a lot of seasons just on his looks alone.”
All American set a track record at Flemington in the 2009 one-mile group I Emirates Stakes, in which he set a course record of 1:33.98. He also won two stakes at 2 including the Bluezone Skyline Stakes (Aus-III) and placed at 3 in the Badjar Ogilvy Bill Stutt Moonee Valley Stakes (Aus-II) and the Coolmore Stud Ascot Vale S. (Aus-I). He entered stud in 2010 in Australia at John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud, where he stood for Aus$16,500.
“When you are looking at a new horse, you always ask if this is the horse you would breed to your own mares,” Phillips said. “I am literally breeding my best mares to him. He has all the requirements I look for in a Roberto—precocious speed, had the grade I mile, has the conformation. I just went down my check list and he had every quality.”
All American will stand for $10,000 next year at Darby Dan and continue shuttling between the United States and Australia.
