The Redoute's Factor

Image 1: Redoute's Choice (AUS) by Danehill (USA) [Breednet.com.au, 2024].

This week we discuss the Redoute’s Choice (AUS) male line, bred with Northern Dancer (CAN) line mares, which has been proving to be a hot, in form nick in South Africa at the moment. Redoute’s Choice himself hails from the Northern Dancer male line, through his sire Danehill (AUS), who is a grandson of Northern Dancer through Danehill’s sire Danzig (USA).

Redoute’s Choice’s dam, Shanta's Choice (AUS) is out of a Nijinsky (CAN) mare Dancing Show (USA), making her a granddaughter of Northern Dancer. Shanta's Choice was a daughter of Canny Lad who won once at two, which was her only victory during her racing career. Her resume didn't look promising going into her second career as a broodmare, however what she couldn't make up for on the track, she made up in the paddocks. Out of the thirteen foals she produced, ten ran of which nine became winners giving her a 90% winners/runners of all her offspring to grace the track. Out of the nine winners, seven were stakes performers ((77.7), five of those were stakes winners (55.5%), of which three won at Grade 1 level (60%), and the other two placing in Grade 1's, a further two foals placing in stakes races.

Platinum Scissors (Danehill) was a Grade 1 and multiple Grade 2 winning full brother to Redoute's Choice, and placing in three other Grade 1's during his career.

Shanta's Choice produced two stakes winners by Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) and her last stakes winner was a filly by Fastnet Rock (Danehill) called Sliding Cube who herself produced a Encosta De Lago stakes winner. Encosta De Lago's sire Fairy King is a son of Northern Dancer and Danehill's sire is Danzig who is also by Northern Dancer. This proves the above of crossing the Northern Dancer male line with Northern Dancer line mares and the success it's having on producing stakes winners and performers [Breednet.com.au, 2024]

Image 1: Redoute's Choice's pedigree showing the line breeding of Northern Dancer within his pedigree [Raceform.co.za, n.d.]

Redoute's Choice ran in ten races in Australia, he wasnt out of a cheque in eight of them winning five, a second, and two thrid place finishes. Four of his victories were at Grade 1 level namely Blue Diamond Stakes G1on only his second start as a two-year-old, and won the Manikato Stakes G1, Caulfield Stakes G1, and C F Orr Stakes G1 as a three-year-old. Redoute's Choice ran second or third in three further Grade 1 victories which automatically made him a worthy candidate for the Arrowfield stallion paddocks. [justhorseracing, 2019]

Redoute's Choice produced no less than 34 individual Grade 1 winners, and at the height of his stallion career, commanded a stud fee of Aus $330,000.00 before his passing in 2019 at the age of 22.

Some of his notable progeny that are continuing Redoute's Choice's legacy are his multiple Grade 1 winning and producing son Not A Single Doubt who stood at Coolmore Australia produced seventeen individual Grade 1 winners, Snitzel and The Autumn Sun who both Stand at Arrowfield Stud, King's Legacy who stand at Coolmore Australia, Lankan Rupee, Miss Finland, and Melito

South Africa caught onto the Redoute's Choice train and imported a handful of his offspring with Rafeef, Mustaqeem, Wylie Hall, and Majmu all winning Grade 1 races, Time Thief placing in two Grade 1 races, and six time winner Buffalo Bill Cody.

Rafeef (AUS), who was imported from Australia as yearlings, is a son of Redoute’s Choice, and was further crossed with a Northern Dancer female line through Danzig. This cross produced him as well as his full brother Mustaqeem (AUS). They were both winners of Grade 1 races in South Africa over the minimum trip of 1000m.

Image 2: Rafeef's pedigree with the further addition of Northern Dancer to his pedigree is illustrated above. [Raceform.co.za, n.d.]

An example of the Northern Dancer female line that has been working well with son’s of Redoutes Choice, especially with Rafeef are those of Var (USA) mares. Var is a Grandson of Storm Cat (USA) through his sire Forest Wild Cat (USA), adding further Northern Dancer to the pedigree on the female line. This cross has already produced two individual Grade 1 winners in South Africa in Master Archie (SAF) and Thunderstruck (SAF), both sired by Rafeef, and winning between distances of 1000m and 1200m respectively.

Image 3: Master Archie's pedigree showing the dominance of Northern Dancer in both Rafeef's pedigree and La Volta's pedigree [Raceform.co.za, n.d.]

Thunderstruck has Northern Dancer’s hoofprint dominant within his pedigree, with his sire Rafeef carrying Danzig through Redoutes Choice and National Colour (SAF). Redoute’s Choice  out of a Nijinsky mare adding further Northern Dancer lineage to Thunderstruck’s pedigree on the male line. Thunderstruck’s dam Varikate (SAF) is by Var, who is a grandson of Storm Cat, and Varikate is out of a mare who hails from Danzig making both the male line and female lines dominant in Northern Dancer. His pedigree is illustrated below.

Image 4: Thunderstruck has Northern Dancer in all four male lines of both Rafeef's and Varikate's pedigree coloured in light blue. It's interesting to observe that three ourt of four male lines are through Northern Dancer's son Danzig. [Raceform.co.za, n.d.]

This similar cross has also worked in Australia with Redoutes Choice’s son Snitzel (AUS) crossed with a Var mare named Via Africa (SAF), produced Grade 1 winner  In The Congo (AUS), who won over 1400m.

Image 5: Grade 1 Australian winner In The Congo's pedigree showing the same crosses discussed above also work in Australia, which gives us alot of confidence going forward [www.pedigreequery.com, n.p.]

A further Northern Dancer female line that has worked with sons of Redoute’s Choice are daughters of Galileo (IRE). This cross has produced a Group 1 winner over 2450m in Aragosta (Rafeef) as well as a Graded stakes winner over 1160m in Mrs Browning and both of them are full siblings. The cross with Galileo has injected stamina into the pedigree combined with speed from Redoute’s Choice.

To confirm the above about Northern Dancer line mares, a future nick that could ignite is the Redoute’s Choice sire line with daughters of Tiger Ridge (Storm Cat). From only four runners to date, Redoute's Choice's son Buffalo Bill Cody (AUS) over this cross has produced an undefeated listed winner over 1000m in Pistol Pete (Buffalo Bill Cody) from three outings and is showing huge signs of improvement with every run.

In conclusion, The success story of the Northern Dancer male line bred with a Northern Dancer female line could be a future nick. For the 2024 stallion roster, there are three sons of Redoute’s Choice namely Buffalo Bill Cody, Rafeef, and Time Thief, as well as three grandsons of Redoute’s Choice who have potential when crossed with the above-mentioned dam sire lines namely Real Gone Kid (Snitzel), Heavenly Blue (Snitzel), Master Archie (Rafeef). This opens up the breeding options to breeders who have mares by Black Minnalouche (Storm Cat), Galileo (Saddlers Wells), Mogok (Storm Cat), Oasis Dream (Green Desert), Tiger Ridge (Storm Cat), Var (Forest Wildcat),  or hail from other Northern Dancer lines within their pedigree.