Shantha's Choice becomes a gold mine for her owner
Racing & Breeding News - Brian Russell - Bloodstock Media Service - 15 August 2007
Shantha’s Choice, a Canny Lad filly from the imported Nijinsky mare Dancing Show, only returned $6,900 of the $220,000 she cost M.A. Yaseen when he secured her out of the Muranna Stud, Merricks North,Vic draft at the William Inglis 1994 Victorian yearling sale, but she has become a gold mine as a breeder.
She did not get much chance to live up to her cost, appearing only twice, both in July at two, and indicating that she had the potential to be a good class performer with a debut win over 1200m on a heavy track at Seymour and then a short head second as a 15-8 favourite in a 1300m event at Sandown. A protest against the winner was dismissed.
Retained by Yaseen and put to stud as a 3-year-old, she struck it rich immediately with her first foal being the champion Danehill performer and Arrowfield Stud, Hunter Valley supersire Redoute’s Choice, a winner of five of ten outings, including four Group1s, the Blue Diamond Stakes, Manikato Stakes, C.F. Orr Stakes and Caulfield Guineas. As he now commands a service fee of $300,000 plus GST and Yaseen has retained a major share in him, he is returning millions of dollars annually on the original $220,000 investment.
In addition Yaseen has had the joy of owning another very talented colt from Shantha’s Choice in Platinum Scissors, a winner of four Group events, including the AJC Spring Champion Stakes and Norman Robinson Stakes, and a second placegetter in the Doomben Cup, Gloaming Stakes,Tulloch Stakes and Chelmsford Stakes.
The owner’s high hopes of Platinum Scissors matching his brother Redoute’s Choice as a sire struck a hurdle when the horse ran into fertility problems. Because of this he had him transferred last year to the Plaintree Farms Stud near Toowoomba in Queensland. It is owned by Heather Pascoe and her veterinary husband David Pascoe, a leader in the field of equine fertility.
Since she went to stud Shantha’s Choice has had six runners for five winners and a Danehill filly, Monsoon Wedding, who, although she did not win in five outings, was third in two stakes in Sydney at two, including appearance in the Group 2 STC Magic Night Stakes. The first filly out of the mare, she is now breeding for Yaseen and has had filly foals in 2005 and 2006 by Fusaichi Pegasus and Red Ransom respectively. In addition she is due to have a September foal by Coolmore Stud’s spectacular winner getter Encosta de Lago. Shantha’s Choice had a colt by Encosta de Lago last year and is also currently in foal to him.
Reflection on the record of Shantha’s Choice follows her latest triumph as a producer, namely the Gai Waterhouse trained 3-year-old filly Sliding Cube. Also retained by the breeder, Sliding Cube was recording her third win and remaining unbeaten when she indicated she had the heart of a lion in holding out the fast finishing Mimi Lebrock, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning daughter of Show a Heart, to score a long head win in the $120,000 San Domenico Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Now one of the most valuable fillies in training, Sliding Cube is a three-quarter sister to Redoute’s Choice and Platinum Scissors being by arguably Danehill’s greatest racing son, the Coolmore Ireland bred shuttler Rock of Gibraltar. After being one of Europe’s best juveniles of 2001, a year he won five races, including two Group1s, Rock of Gibraltar came out at three, the only other year he raced, and claimed the World Horse of the Year title. He started six times for five successive Group1 wins at 1600m and then wound up his career with a luckless close second in the Breeder’s Cup Mile. He showed sparkling finishing speed as he flashed home after a troubled run.
Rock of Gibraltar now appears to be one of the world’s best young sires. He supplied 21 2-year-old winners in 2006 from his first season at Coolmore in Ireland and 15, including four who competed overseas, from his firstHunter Valley use. He was Australia’s most successful sire of juveniles by stakes winners.
Currently on $82,500 out here, Rock of Gibraltar in his first four Australian seasons, 2003-06, has had books of 141, 144, 168 and 146. He has the credentials, the promise and opportunity to be a great sire.