Arrowfield was plunged into Australia’s thoroughbred breeding history with starry lights when they settled their sights on Danehill as a stallion. They went on stand the three Champion Sire sons of their champion sire, Danzero, Flying Spur and the exceptional three-time Champion Sire, sale-ring sensation and sire of sires Redoute’s Choice. Firm believers in bloodlines, they went on to stand the best sire sons of Redoute’s Choice in Not A Single Doubt and Snitzel. The Autumn Sun another Redoute’s Choice son out of Azmiyna (by Galileo) has retired from racing and will join the Arrowfield Stud roster for the 2019 season. They also stand Dundeel, Maurice, Mikki Isle, Scissor Kick, Shalaa, Pariah, Real Steel and Showtime. Arrowfield’s draft broke multiple records at this year’s Easter Yearling Sale, six of the forty-six lots brought to the sale by Arrowfield, crossed the A$1 million mark and they were the top vendor. We spoke to the Paul Messara, Arrowfield’s intrepid General Manager about his successes at this year’s Easter Yearling Sale.
Q: Did you expect to achieve this kind of a super result? What value were you expecting to get for the Deep Impact colt initially?
A: We do not expect to achieve these results but we certainly aim for them. When the final yearling is loaded and heads out the Arrowfield gates for the Easter Sale, we all know what we are aiming for: to sell 10 individual million-dollar yearlings. We have gone close in the past selling 9 in 2017, but we are yet to reach the magic number of 10 and this certainly gives us something to work toward. It is difficult to judge the quality of your own draft until you reach the sales grounds and you see how they measure up against the competition. The Deep Impact colt was always a million-dollar horse on the farm but when he arrived in Sydney and commenced parading it was clear he was one of the top colts in the sale.
Q: As most of your lots were purchased for a price above the sale average, is there a special recipe which Arrowfield uses to bring in such a high-quality draft?
A: There certainly is. The first part of the equation starts when the matings are decided almost three years earlier. If you get this part of the recipe wrong, it’s over before it begins. Once the foal is born there is a huge effort to ensure the young horse is raised and given every opportunity to develop, while still allowing them to be horses. Peer interaction for young horses is crucial to their development and racing potential in the long term. Sale selection is also a critical element in the mix. Once these factors have been determined it is then up to our committed team in the yearling barn to prepare them for sale and they do a great job. The question was… is there a special recipe? in short, my answer is, you need to have all the right ingredients.
Q: What exciting things have you planned at Arrowfield in 2019?
A: We are delighted to welcome 5-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun to the stallion barn as well as two other exciting young stallions in Real Steel and Showtime. Three exciting prospects.
Q: With the exception of video and photography, what technology or equipment do you think has really helped Arrowfield go over the edge in terms of improving your draft quality and of course reaching a wider customer base?
A: We are a fairly low-tech company and other than social media which mainly comprises of videos and photography, there is little technology we use. We rely on traditional methods of horse management.
Q: What is on your bucket list for Arrowfield graduates in the next 2-3 years?
A: Over the past five years, the Inglis Easter Sale has produced 27 Group 1 winners. Of those 27 Group 1 winners, Arrowfield has sold 9. In other words, 33% of all Group 1 winners sold at Inglis Easter have come from the Arrowfield draft. If we could lift that number to 50% over the next 2-3 years, it would be a great achievement and one item to tick off the bucket list. Beyond that, we want to keep breeding and selling high numbers of stakes winners’ at all yearling sales – our tally so far since 2014 is 40.
Q: What are the factors you take into consideration while planning matings at Arrowfield? Do you have any success formulas which come into play?
A: We rely heavily on judgment; this in my mind is a combination of knowledge and experience. Everybody on the Management team has something to offer and weighs in on the decision-making process. But at the end of the day, it comes down to good judgment.
Q: What sale will Arrowfield be showing at next?
A: The next sale on the agenda is the June Magic Millions Sale, 5-7 June. We have 34 quality yearlings for sale.
Published In The Impact 10 Issue, 2 Vol
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