Leading Reproduction specialist to work with Platinum Scissors
10 April 2006
Platinum Scissors (Danehill- Shantha’s Choice by Canny Lad) – the Group 1 winning full brother to the champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice – will stand in Queensland this season.
His breeder and owner, Mr Muzzafar Yaseen of Teeley Assets, has sought the expertise of world-renowned Reproduction specialist, Dr David Pascoe, of Oakey Veterinary Hospital.
Platinum Scissors will stand the season at Plaintree Farms, a specialized equine breeding centre owned by Dr Pascoe and his wife, Heather. The stallion will arrive in Queensland with his own large broodmare band owned by Teeley Assets. The majority of the mares are already safely in foal to him.
Platinum Scissors stood his first season at Arrowfield in 2004, where he experienced difficulties with his fertility. Mr Yaseen later resumed full ownership in the stallion from former part-owners Arrowfield Stud.
The stallion returned to racing with Gai Waterhouse in 2005 and managed to defy the odds against stallions ever making a successful comeback from the breeding barn to the racetrack. The tough campaigner stepped up once again and scored at Group level, with a win in the Hollindale Stakes (Gr 2) second in the BATC Doomben Cup (Gr 1) and third in the Lord Mayors Cup (Gr 3).
Mr Yaseen also the breeder of Redoute’s Choice and the man who retains a massive 50% share in the champion stallion retired Platinum Scissors to stud for the second time after his successful campaign at the 2005 Brisbane Winter Carnival. The stallion was then sent to Victoria, where he covered a private broodmare band owned by Teeley Assets.
Since the foals conceived during his first season at stud have developed into such exceptional types, Mr Yaseen has now moved to seek the help of a leading Reproduction specialist to work with Platinum Scissors in an effort to improve his overall fertility.
“His foals are extremely good looking,” said Mrs Iris O’Farrell, spokesperson for Teeley Assets, “and breeders keep telling us they can’t tell the difference between the foals by Redoute’s Choice and the foals by Platinum Scissors. They are almost identical.”
“When we heard of Dr Pascoe’s reputation in fertility, Mr Yaseen and I decided he would be the best person to work with in Australia,” she said. “He is extremely committed and extremely passionate, and we like to work with people like that.”
Dr Pascoe is a specialist in stallion and mare fertility. He has been responsible for ground-breaking research in Australian and America and studs under his care are widely renowned for their high fertility rate.
“There are no guarantees in this business, but it is obvious that a stallion like Platinum Scissors would be a tremendous asset to the Australian breeding industry if we can get him back to commercial fertility” Dr Pascoe said.
Platinum Scissors was retired completely sound from racing with earnings close to one million dollars ($982,800). He had 5 wins from 1400m to 2200m inc the AJC Spring Champion Stakes, (G1) MRC Norman Robinson Stakes (G2) GCTC Hollindale S (G2) and the NJC Newcastle Newmarket (G3).
He also ran second on seven occasions, including the QTC Doomben Cup (G1) Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (G2) (twice) the STC Gloaming Stakes (G2) and the STC Hill Stakes (G2)
During the first part of his racing career, Platinum Scissors chalked up multiple Group wins in the AJC Champion Stakes (Gr 1) MRC Norman Robinson Stakes (Gr 2) and the NJC Newmarket Handicap (Gr 3) before he was retired to Arrowfield in 2004.
Trainer Gai Waterhouse said that despite his emphatic win in the classic AJC Champion Stakes (Gr 1), she didn’t really believe he was a true stayer.
“I think he was more of a 1400-1600 horse like his brother Redoute’s Choice,” she said. “But with his serious illness in Melbourne – which very nearly killed him – we never really saw the best of him.”
Platinum Scissors was favourite for the 2003 VRC Derby when he was controversially scratched shortly before the race. The horse later became the subject of a major steward’s inquiry. Gai Waterhouse later told the media she considered Platinum Scissors “the best horse I have ever trained.”
“I think he is fantastic value for the really smart breeder,” said Heather Pascoe of Plaintree Farms. “He is a wonderful looking horse, he is a multiple Group winner, he is a full brother to the leading sire in Australia, he comes from one of the best stallion-producing families in the world and his weanlings are simply outstanding,” she said.
“Best of all, his service fee will only be eight per cent of that of Redoute’s Choice.”