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The Elanora and Celebrity Queen sees late stallion’s stakes haul move to 177
The late breed-shaping stallion Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) sired a stakes double on Saturday which saw his stakes tally move to 177 and both winners are products of matings to daughters of former Vinery Stud shuttler More Than Ready (Southern Halo).
The first leg of the double was provided by his well-bred son The Elanora’s (3 c ex Yesterjoy by More Than Ready) victory Spring Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) at Hawkesbury.
The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old colt broke his maiden at Newcastle on October 17 and was last seen finishing second at Randwick, but he regained his winning thread on Saturday, when beating High Supremacy (Savabeel) by half a length. Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) was another two and a quarter lengths away in third.
Waller was not on track at Newcastle but his racing manager Charlie Duckworth said The Elanora had been slow to mature and had gone to another level since blinkers were applied.
"When he won at the provincials first up we thought he might be mentally a bit behind the others," Duckworth said.
"Then the blinkers went on and he has continued to take the necessary steps and today is the cherry on top for his spring preparation.
"He is a very exciting colt."
Meanwhile, winning jockey Tommy Berry said he could develop into a contender for the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
"He could be a Derby horse because he is that relaxed and he was strong at the end of that race," Berry said.
Bred and raced by John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud, the colt is one of two winners out of winning More Than Ready (Southern Halo) mare Yesterjoy, who is herself a daughter of multiple Group 1-winning champion Tuesday Joy (Carnegie).
Tuesday Joy is out of Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Joie Denise (Danehill), whose six winners are headed by Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence), who in turn produced multiple Group 1-winning mare More Joyous (More Than Ready).
Further back the colt also shares a page with Group 1 winner Fenway (High Chaparral), Group 2 scorer Don’t Doubt Mamma (Not A Single Doubt), Group 3 winner War (More Than Ready) as well as Risen From Doubt (Not A Single Doubt).
Yesterjoy produced a filly by Darley sire Lonhro (Octagonal) in 2019 and this year foaled a colt by his Coolmore Stud-based son Pierro.
Meanwhile later on in the afternoon, Celebrity Queen (4 m ex Celebrity Miss by More Than Ready) landed the Colonel Reeves Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).
The Grant and Alana Williams-trained four-year-old mare showed a good attitude to get the better of her close relation Stageman (Written Tycoon), eventually beating him into second, while Indian Pacific (Zoustar) was back in third.
Bred and raced by Bob Peters, the mare is out of Listed winner Celebrity Miss, who is herself a daughter of dual Group 1 winner Miss Margaret (Marscay).
Miss Margaret is also the dam of Group 2 scorer Confront (Bluebird) and she also produced Best Picture (Scenic), who in turn produced Best Feature (Secret Savings) - the dam of Listed winner Stageman, who finished second in the Group 3.
The mare’s third dam is Listed winner Fancy Miss (Sir Tristram), who is a grandam of Group 1 winner Dreamaway (More Than Ready) and Group 3-winning duo Dances On Stars (Snitzel) and Got Unders (Southern Image).
The pair become the third and fourth stakes winners bred on the Redoute’s Choice / More Than Ready cross, joining Group 3-winning pair Dark Choice and Thyme For Roses.
Redoute’s Choice’s progeny is headed by 38 top-flight winners and he died at Arrowfield Stud last year.