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The stage is set
The news this week that Manhattan Rain is to join his half-brother, champion sire Redoute’s Choice, at Arrowfield Stud draws our attention to another wonderful producing mare, who will have multiple sons at stud – Peter and Wendy Moran’s Staging.
Manhattan Rain (by Encosta De Lago) will be Shantha’s Choice’s (by Canny Lad) fourth son to retire to stud; she also is the dam of Platinum Scissors and Superior Sateen, brothers to Redoute’s Choice (by Danehill (USA)).
Shantha’s Choice is the only active Australian mare to have three Group 1 winners to her name (Redoute’s Choice, Platinum Scissors and Manhattan Rain), but Staging is hot on her tail.
Staging (by Success Express (USA)) is a top-flight racemare – she won 10 races, four at Group 2 level and placed four times in Group 1s – who has gone on to be a broodmare blue hen.
Staging, who already has her Group 1 winning son Excites (AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes) at stud at Vinery, will have two high-profile sons – Duporth and Tickets – possibly fighting out Saturday’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington.
The magnificent-looking Duporth (pictured) , by Red Ransom (USA), became Staging’s second Group 1 winner when he brilliantly won the BTC Cup (wfa 1200m) at Doomben in April 2009, and Peter Moody, who trains both horses, believes Tickets (by Redoute’s Choice), already a Group 2 winner, is a Group 1 quality galloper. Both horses are owned by the Morans.
Duporth was a top-class juvenile, who trained on to win the 2008 $1 million Group 2 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill as a spring 3YO. The Golden Rose became a Group 1 event in 2009.
Duporth, with his blood free of Northern Dancer, is one of the hottest young sire prospects in the country. The near-black horse returned to racing in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (wfa 1000m, Flemington) last month with an excellent sixth behind Nicconi.
Moody has reserved Duporth for the Newmarket, a race in which the horse last year finished a luckless eighth, beaten only 3.5 lengths, behind Scenic Blast, before going on to win his Group 1 in Brisbane.
Duporth is in his last campaign before he is retired to stud. Studmasters are clamouring to sign him up – watch this space – as an announcement on a home for this exciting stallion prospect will be made shortly.
Danny, I enjoy the blog – I find it very informative.
The recent success of Charge Forward and Domesday and with the pending stud careers of Onemorenomore, All American and Duporth, Red Ransom looks like being a high quality sire of sires in Australia. Domesday has been particularly impressive off a low service fee. Heres hoping we also see Duporth in Sydney and he can knock off another Group 1 before he retires.
Thanks for the comments Ben. It’s quite amazing the number of local young stallions that will go to stud in the next 12 months, including three G1 winning sons of Red Ransom, which gives breeding with Danehill blood in their mares better options.