Arrowfield’s All American gamble

Life’s all about timing, and All American’s win in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m, Flemington) on November 7 was timely in that it came about the same time as the death of his sire Red Ransom, and it also ensured him a possible seat at the table of Arrowfield Stud stallion roster.

But was the timing right for Arrowfield?

Arrowfield Stud, in fact, is left with a dilemma. Retiring All American immediately, with nearly 10 months to the 2010 breeding season, obviously wasn’t an option for the owners of the horse, including Arrowfield as a major shareholder, but continuing to race him is risky, as we have seen from All American’s disappointing performance (11^th) in Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.

Every similar performance to his Railway flop in his autumn 2010 campaign will dilute the horse’s stallion value. Nobody will be more aware of that than Arrowfield supremo John Messara. All American will need to be handled with care.

I suspect that All American’s autumn campaign will be very select and that we won’t see him chasing Group 1 races for the sake of it, because that will be a very risky policy with a horse that already has a history of inconsistency that is of concern some broodmare owners.

All American needs a big track and a fast tempo to produce his best. A race like the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m, Randwick) is a perfect fit.

Breeding lines:

All American (b h 2005, Red Ransom (USA)-Milva (USA), by Strawberry Road)

Red Ransom (USA) (b h 1987, Roberto (USA)-Arabia (USA), by Damascus (USA))