Redoute's Choice now has had winners in seven different countries. And this from just three crops of racing age. He's had black type winners in four of those countries.In the sales ring in his home of Sydney, Australia April 18 at the Australian Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, the awesome might of this young stallion was flexed. He topped the sale with a $2-million colt.The sale saw seven lots fetch $1 million or more. This has never happened anywhere in Australia or the southern hemisphere.In short, Redoute's Choice (Danehill-Shantha's Choice) is rewriting how Australian buyers and breeders conduct their business. His top seller, offered by Arrowfield where he stands, was from the mare Urge To Merge a winning Last Tycoon mare who has produced a group I winner by Octagonal.He was a lovely colt and bidding opened at $500,000. It ended three minutes later with New Zealander Rob McAnulty buying him for a series of clients. He'll be trained in Australia by leading trainer David Hayes.Trading closed with 166 lots selling on the opening of this three-day select sale, with gross receipts of $43,270,000 and an average of $260,663, while the clearance rate was 90%. At the corresponding session last year 183 yearlings sold for $37,358,000, to average $204,142, this year's figures represents gains of 16% and 27.6 %, respectively."It's been an amazing day's selling from the very kick-off and to sell seven horses over $1 million in one day is just sensational," said managing director Reg Inglis. "We're very much looking forward to the next two days."That's an understatement as the real 'big' babies of Redoute's Choice come into the ring. The $2 million is expected to be chump change by the time the sale ends.Still, day one's session topper was an absolute pearl of an animal. A big, well topped, handsome bay colt who was foaled early and had a look of stardom in his eyes.He's a half-brother to group I winner Suntagonal out of a full-sister to South African Champion 2-year-old Tracy's Element.McAnulty said the horse was syndicated moments after the hammer fell.
"He's a nice, big, well-grown colt, who'll not grow anymore, he'll just head to David's to fill-out now." said McAnulty.Kiwi-born McAnutly has recently relocated to Australia and boasts many successes with Easter bought yearlings, most notably the multiple group I winner and Champion 3-year-old Mouawad from the 1995 sale.
Of the top 10 lots, Redoute's Choice was responsible for four, with three of those making over $1 million, the other stopping at $900,000. Smarty Jones ' old man Elusive Quality , with his first Australian offering, made a record of his own when his colt from the extraordinary producer Assertive Lass (Zedative) reached $1.4 million, falling to the bid of John Ferguson. "This was the highest priced yearling by Elusive Quality sold anywhere in the world," said Darley's marketing manger Tania Henry-May.Assertive Lass was a group I winner and her three foals to race have been a group I winner, a group II winner and group III-placed, respectively. Elusive Quality, standing at Darley, was the leading freshman on average at $333,450, ahead of Rock Of Gibraltar who shuttles to Coolmore Stud. His average was $295,000 and he too had a million dollar-plus baby. It was the colt from Subterfuge and was bought by the astute New Zealander David Ellis for $1.3 million.