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New Zealand's Rich Hill Stud has won the race to stand multiple Group One winner and reigning NZ Horse of the Year Jimmy Choux.
Photo by Racing and Sports
An agreement has been reached between Rich Hill Stud, Nearco Stud principal Greg Tomlinson and Jimmy Choux's owner-breeders Richard and Liz Wood for the rising five-year-old to begin his stud career at the Matamata property this spring.
Rich Hill and Nearco Studs have taken significant holdings in the stallion and the Woods have retained an interest with a limited number of shares available for public purchase.
Nearco Stud is a fast-growing privately-owned breeding entity and they were keen to secure a significant interest in a commercial stallion prospect.
“We weren't originally planning to have a new stallion, but the decision by Sir Percy's English owners to rest him from shuttle duty this year coincided with the retirement of Jimmy Choux,” said Rich Hill studmaster John Thompson.
“A horse with his looks, racetrack ability and pedigree doesn't come on the market very often and sometimes when they do you have to act to secure such a stallion prospect.
“We feel he will be a great addition to the roster. A horse of his charisma will command a real following and enjoy strong support from the New Zealand breeding industry.
“He's by a champion sire out of a mare by a champion broodmare sire and he has four separate lines of Star Kingdom in his first six generations, which is now a rarity in Australasian breeding.
“He was an outstanding racehorse with a fine physique so he's got absolutely everything in his favour to make a successful stallion.”
Thompson said discussions with Nearco Stud's Greg Tomlinson and his bloodstock manager Adrian Clark had been the catalyst to Rich Hill securing Jimmy Choux.
“Greg Tomlinson has purchased a lot of well-bred stakes performed mares in the last three years and he will be supporting Jimmy Choux heavily in his initial years – that's a huge assist to any horse's career to be assured mares of that premier quality," said Thompson.
Trained throughout his career at Hastings by John Bary, Jimmy Choux was the winner of the G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at two and placed in both the G1 Diamond Stakes and the G1 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes.
His career went to another level at three when he completed the G1 NZ 2000 Guineas-NZ Derby double and went to win the G1 Rosehill Guineas in Sydney.
Jimmy Choux returned as a four-year-old to claim the G1 Windsor Park Plate and G1 Spring Classic after finishing runner-up in the opening leg of the Hastings Triple Crown.
He then crossed the Tasman again and beat all but Pinker Pinker in the G1 W.S. Cox Plate and ran fourth in the G1 Emirates Stakes before he was unplaced in the G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin.
Jimmy Choux was to have just two more starts this year before the decision was made to retire him after Bary said it became evident he “wanted to be a stallion.”
He posted 12 wins and eights placings from his 26 starts and earned $NZ3,626,763.
Jimmy Choux is a son of Thorn Park out of the Centaine mare Cierzo and will stand his first season at $NZ10,000 + GST.
