Redoute's Choice
Redoute's Choice, sire of the leading 3yo colt Musir, has been making his presence felt as a promising sire of sires. On the Australian first crop sires list, there are three sons of Redoute's Choice in the top ten, by money earned, and five sons in the top twenty. Sons of Redoute's Choice are just beginning to be represented by their first runners, and it will be interesting to see if Redoute's Choice can emulate his sire, Danehill, and become a truly great sire of sires.
Redoute's son, Gr1 winner and first season sire Snitzel, was represented by his first graded stakes winner when 2yo filly Chance Bye won Saturday's Gr2 Silver Slipper Stakes. Unbeaten in three starts, Chance Bye, who is just one of two horses with trainer Michael Tubman, will be aimed at the Golden Slipper. Snitzel is currently leading the first crop sires list by earnings.
To date, Snitzel is the sire of 14 runners, six of whom have won.
Another first crop sire son of Redoute's Choice, former Golden Slipper winner Stratum, was also recently represented by his first stakes winner.
His 2yo daughter, Crystal Lily, ran out a good winner of the Listed Blue Diamond Preview Stakes, before going on to take part in the Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes. She subsequently bounced back to win the Listed Chairmans Stakes.
Stratum is fourth leading first crop sire by earnings and has been represented by five winners from 28 runners.
Unlike Snitzel and Stratum, Bradbury's Luck never won at the highest level.
He did, however, win the Magic Millions 2yo Classic, and as such could be expected to sire precocious stock. Currently the eighth leading first crop sire, Bradbury's Luck has had just three winners to date, but these include the useful, stakes placed filly Ringa Ringa Rosie.
Interestingly, on a different note, the Gr1 placed Foreplay (Danehill), one of the leading first crop sires down under, is a full brother to former SA sprint sensation Laisserfaire.

National Colour to Sebring
Former SA Horse of the Year, National Colour (National Assembly), has been pencilled in to visit Sebring for her first year at stud.
Sebring, a son of leading sire More Than Ready, was a brilliant 2yo, who was beaten just once when touched off by wonder filly Samantha Miss (Redoute's
Choice) in the Gr1 AJC Champagne Stakes. His five career wins included scores in the Gr1 Golden Slipper Stakes and VRC Sires Produce Stakes.
Sebring retired to stud last season. He stands at Widden Stud in Australia.
National Colour was voted Joint Horse of the Year with another brilliant grey filly, Ilha da Vitoria. National Colour won three Gr1 races in South Africa, where she was beaten just three times, and ran second in the Gp1 Nunthorpe Stakes in Britain. She was also a winner in Dubai and ran a creditable sixth in the Gr1 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Her dam, Rainbow Cake (Mr Eats), was a high-class racemare in own right. She won 7 races including the Champagne Stakes.
It is interesting that such a top-class racefilly is being bred to an unproven sire, but on paper the foal should certainly prove to be speedy.

Super Sunday
The winners of Sunday's five feature races make for interesting reading.
Fisani (Gauteng Fillies Guineas), Gold On Gold (Aquanaut Handicap), Mother Russia (L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes), Braggadaccio (Hawaii Stakes) and Pierre Jourdaan (Gauteng Guineas) are all out of non stakes winning mares.
Just two of the five winners are out of mares (Pierre Jourdaan, Braggadaccio) who were stakes placed, but all five winners are out of mares which won at least once. Three of the winners on Guineas day are half-siblings to stakes performers, ie Braggadaccio is a full brother to Gr1 winner Fair Maiden (Western Winter), Gold On Gold (Tara's Halls) is a half-brother to three stakes winners, and Fisani is a half-sister to the Gr1 placed Catmandu (Makaarem).
Another interesting point, is that four of the five winners are descendants of the great North American sire Mr Prospector. Parade Leader sire of Pierre Jourdaan is by Mr Prospector son Kingmambo, Braggadaccio is by Gone West (Mr Prospector) horse Western Winter, Mother Russia's sire Windrush is by Seeking The Gold (Mr Prospector) and Fisani is by Machiavellian (Mr Prospector) sire Kahal.
What is also interesting is that Pierre Jourdaan (Gauteng Guineas) is a descendant of Sceptre (Persimmon). One of the greatest racemares of all time, Sceptre came closer than any other horse to winning all five English classic races. She won all of the 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Oaks and St Leger, and was fourth in the Epsom Derby. Amazingly enough, prior to her classic efforts, Sceptre was beaten in the Lincoln Handicap. She later became a highly influential broodmare through the deeds of her daughters Maid of the Mist (Cyllene), Curia (Cicero) and Coronation (Isinglass).

Equus Awards
Whilst it is still a good few months before the Equus Awards are announced, there is at least one category which is promising to be very close. With Mother Russia (Windrush) sweeping all before her it will be hard to deny her an Equus Award as champion older female. Her stiffest rival, River Jetez (Jet Master), did, however, win one of the country's most prestigious races in the J&B Met and would herself be a deserving winner of this award in a normal year. Only a handful of mares have ever won the Met, and whilst Mother Russia deserves an award on what she has achieved, it seems hard to deny River Jetez for beating the boys in the Met.
Whilst there are still races for both Mother Russia and River Jetez to contest, the race for that particular Equus award promises to be very close (and not without controversy). It is to be hoped that the criteria for awards will be more clear cut, as there was considerable unhappiness last year when the panel appeared to use different criteria for different nominees.