Messara predicts Written success

Arrowfield Stud principal John Messara said stallion Written Tycoon’s access to some of the best broodmare stock on offer in spring can only be good for the stallion and his shareholders.

Speaking to host Terry Bailey on Tuesdays With Terry on Racing.com, Messara said Written Tycoon – who is currently the 10th-leading sire for winners this season – is set to make a big impact when he stands his first season based at the Hunter Valley after a loan agreement with Victorian stud Woodside Park.

“We felt that we could actually bring something into the equation because we could give him the opportunity of access also to the Hunter Valley mares – all the expensive and valuable ones – which people are loathe to send on a truck trip with their babies at foot,” Messara said.

“So, he’s going to access 150-odd mares this year that he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do out of Victoria and is good for Victoria as well. All the revenue goes back to Victorians who own him.

“It’s going to be a good exercise, I think. We’ll be giving him some of our best mares ourselves. Hopefully Woodside and the shareholders will be well rewarded.”

Making Written Tycoon more appealing for Arrowfield was the lack of Danehill.

“It’s the source of the best blood we’ve had here for 25 because his sons and grandsons have dominated in Australia and we’ve become victims of our own success to some extent now as we’re looking for outcrosses – something without Danehill in it now – because there is so much of it around,” said Messara, who made a fortune when taking a winning punt on Danehill in the 1980s.

While predicting big things for Written Tycoon at his new base, Messara said he would not be surprised if the farm’s record-breaker Snitzel won a fifth-consecutive champion sires title next season.

“He’s amazing because there are four-consecutive victories and there are only two horses in modern times that have done that,” he said.

“Danehill won nine times but also had four-consecutive victories or more and before that was Star Kindgom.

“Redoute’s (Choice) himself – Snitzel’s father – only had three champion wins and they were spread around – they weren’t consecutive. This guy has gone bang, bang, bang, bang, four in a row and it wouldn’t surprise me if he carried on next year the way he’s going.

“I saw him yesterday. He looks good for a horse that’s turning 18. Last year, he had 150 mares and this year about the same. He’s handling it very well. He’s highly fertile and seems in very good fettle.”

At the other end of the spectrum for Arrowfield is the Dundeel son Castelvecchio, who is preparing for his first season this spring.

“He’s a homebred as well and we get a big thrill out of buying our horses back – often at a big multiple than what we sold them for but nevertheless we know a lot about them and a lot about their families and it helps we bred them,” he said.

“That day when he ran second in the Cox Plate, he was rated by the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) the fifth-best three-year-old in the world and the best in Australia.

“He was a Group 1 winner at two and three and has a lovely pedigree. He’s a little bigger than his father. I am very hopeful about him.”

With the death of Redoute’s Choice, attention turns to his son The Autumn Sun, who won five G1s from nine starts before his first season at stud last year.

“He’s the gun,” Messara said. “The fact he is a son of Redoute’s Choice, who is a proven sire maker. He’s been the best sire maker since Danehill.

“He got a wonderful book of mares in his first season last year,” he said. “We are personally sending him 47 mares ourselves. We are madly keen about him.”