Group 1 winning 3-year-old D’Argento (by So You Think) has been secured for stud duties by Bowness Stud, Young, and will commence his stallion career this coming breeding season at an introductory service fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).
One of the outstanding members of an exceptional Classic generation which featured the likes of Trapeze Artist, Kementari, Pierata and the subsequent Hong Kong star Furore, D’Argento established himself as an elite level performer with a series of highly-rated performances which of course featured a memorable Group 1 Rosehill Guineas success.
D'Argento had actually gone into his autumn 3-year-old campaign unbeaten in his first three career starts. Trained out of the all-conquering Rosehill stable of Chris Waller, the striking grey son of So You Think (NZ) had been produced late in his 2-year-old season to score on debut at Newcastle, before opening up his Sydney metropolitan winning account with another very promising victory on his home track.
Reproduced in a mid-season 3-year-old contest early in the New Year, D’Argento then made it three straight victories from as many starts when scoring a very promising Randwick success at the expense of Shumookh — a subsequent dual Group 2 winner later in the same year.
D’Argento was pitted against the finest gallopers in training thereafter and for the rest of his career. Thrown into the mix with the very best racehorses around during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival, he proceeded to place third behind the aforementioned Kementari and Pierata in a vintage Hobartville Stakes (with Trapeze Artist running fourth); claimed the aforementioned Group 1 Rosehill Guineas by a clear-cut margin again in his own age group; and finished a close-up fourth in the time honoured Doncaster Handicap behind Randwick cult figure Happy Clapper.
Further illustrating the regard Chris Waller had for Bowness Stud’s new acquisition is the fact that D’Argento then returned in the spring to contest the Winx Stakes (G1), Theo Marks (G2), Epsom Handicap (G1), Caulfield Stakes (G1) and W.S. Cox Plate (G1), the now 4-year-old again enhancing his reputation with another two seconds and a third behind the likes of Winx, Hartnell and the internationally revered Benbatl.
Unfortunately, D’Argento was to face the starter on just two more occasions during an aborted campaign because of injury, and more recently had the curtain brought down on a distinguished racing career with a record that reads four wins and four placings from 14 starts for $1,103,525 in earnings.
One of the most recognisable gallopers to have ever raced in the colours of Star Thoroughbreds in a longline of very successful Denise Martin purchases, D’Argento retires to stud the highest rated son of So You Think (NZ) by virtue of Timeform’s assessment of his performances when running third to Kementari and Pierata in the Hobartville Stakes over 1400m, and second to Hartnell in the Epsom Handicap over 1600m.
Furthermore, a figure of 120+ attributed to D’Argento at the conclusion of his 3-year-old season saw him rated the equal of fellow 2014 foal crop members Pierata (120) and globetrotting Group 1 sprinter Merchant Navy (120p) at the very same stage of their respective career.
Chris Waller’s views on D’Argento’s ability fully backs Timeform’s assessment of the exciting new stud prospect in every which way. In a testimonial he prepared on behalf of Star Thoroughbreds in relation to Bowness Stud‘s 2020 newcomer, Waller concluded: “When you consider he probably should have won a Doncaster and Epsom it certainly would have made him into a high-profile stallion, but we just came up short… I will certainly be supporting and helping to promote him as a stallion.”
Produced by a Listed MRC Debutante Stakes (900m) black-type winning juvenile daughter of multiple champion sire Redoute’s Choice, D’Argento makes great appeal as a son of one of Australia’s brightest young stallions in the form of So You Think, from the hugely progressive sireline of High Chaparral and the peerless Sadler’s Wells.
When one also throws into the mix the prodigious influence of his maternal great grandsire Kenmare (responsible for his unmistakable coat colouring), D’Argento provides broodmare owners with a comprehensive blend of bloodlines that have gone from strength to strength in more recent time.
