Almost five months after topping the Vendor list at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale for the third consecutive year, Arrowfield was back in action at Magic Millions, but this time as a buyer on the very strong opening day of the National Broodmare Sale.
The Stud's Bloodstock Manager Jon Freyer explains, "We have to re-invest in the best quality bloodstock we can find, so we can keep on breeding and selling top-class racehorses – it's as simple as that."
Jon joined agent Dean Hawthorne, who manages the racing & breeding interests of Jonathan Munz, to purchase Group 1 winner Abbey Marie (by Redoute's Choice), for $1.4 million and Group 2 winner Omei Sword (by High Chaparral) for $1.7 million.
Both mares will be sent to Japan to visit supersire Deep Impact whose son Saxon Warrior is hot favourite for the Epsom Derby G1 this Saturday.
Abbey Marie's purchase closes a circle of sorts, as she was offered by Arrowfield on behalf of breeder Teeley Assets at the 2014 Inglis Easter Sale where she was bought for $300,000 by Dermot Farrington.
Trained by Mick Kent for her owners Peter Anastasiou, Ken Biddick & partners, she emulated her Australian Oaks-winning full sister Absolutely with a dominant performance in the 2016 SAJC Australasian Oaks G1.
Jon Freyer says, "Abbey Marie is a beautiful, quality filly, very typical of Redoute's Choice and a glorious mover.
"Her race record could easily have been even better, she had no luck this season in the Orr, the Caulfield Cup and the Queen of the Turf but still managed a top six finish in all of them."
Omei Sword, a daughter of MRC 1000 Guineas G1 winner Irish Lights, was bought by Guy Mulcaster for $675,000 from the Coolmore draft at the 2015 Inglis Easter Sale. A Group-placed winner at two, she progressed to win the ATC Silver Shadow S. G2 and place in the Golden Rose G1 at three.
Jon Freyer says, "Omei Sword is just a queen, a big, strong, imposing filly from the great taproot family of Fall Aspen. We consider her a Group 1 quality mare, she was a good two-year-old and unlucky to be beaten in a very strong Golden Rose, beating Group 1 colts Impending and Divine Prophet."
The Arrowfield-Munz partnership has already struck gold at Magic Millions, buying The Broken Shore in foal to Fastnet Rock for $1.9 million from the 2014 Teeley Dispersal. The resulting foal is brilliant 3YO filly Shoals, winner of three Group 1 races this season for the partnership and one of the most valuable racemares in Australia.
Sent back to Fastnet Rock, The Broken Shore, a Hussonet half-sister to Redoute's Choice, left this year's $2.3 million colt, the top-priced lot at Inglis Easter.
Arrowfield was also busy later in yesterday's session, bidding on behalf of eminent Japanese owner-breeder Katsumi Yoshida to buy Lot 784, Group 1-winning sprinter Silent Sedition (War Chant-Fiorentina) for $1.5 million. As Jon Freyer explains, Arrowfield is familiar with her pedigree on a couple of counts.
"We know War Chant as the damsire of our young sire Shalaa, and we've also had good success with another mare from her family, Road to Damascus.
"Katsumi loved Silent Sedition's page and she competed very consistently in top company, beating Hellbent and Star Turn in the William Reid and winning four other Group races."
Silent Sedition will join Northern Farm's highly successful breeding venture with Arrowfield, responsible for, among others, Horse of the Year Weekend Hussler, Group 1 winners Sweet Idea, Hot Snitzel & Reaan and Group-winning colts Dracarys & Showtime. In his own right, Mr Yoshida is also the breeder of this year's Golden Slipper winner Estijaab.
Silent Sedition will visit champion sire Snitzel this coming Spring.
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