The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice) will join Arrowfield's roster for the upcoming season, standing for $77,000 (inc GST) after confirmation of his racetrack retirement.
The 3-year-old had a remarkable racetrack career that lasted less than 11 months, taking in eight victories in nine starts, including five at Group 1 level.
Arrowfield, who co-bred the colt and sold him as a yearling for $700,000, bought a controlling interest in him from Hermitage Thoroughbreds ahead of his win in last October's Group 1 Caulfield Guineas.
The Autumn Sun winning the G1 Caulfield Guineas
Arrowfield and Hermitage met over the past few days on the sidelines of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and decided it was time to retire the colt. He becomes the seventh son of Redoute's Choice to stand at the iconic Hunter Valley stud and the fifth on the roster this season.
“We backed Redoute’s Choice as a sire of sires early in his career, we stand Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt, and Beneteau was also highly successful for us. That history makes the best colt by Redoute’s Choice an irresistible prospect,” Arrowfield chairman John Messara said.
"That history makes the best colt by Redoute’s Choice an irresistible prospect." - John Messara
He enters the market as one of the highest priced first-season sires in Australian thoroughbred history, $20,000 more than the two highest-priced debutant stallions of last season, Merchant Navy and Russian Revolution stood for in their first seasons in 2018.
It is the same price that Coolmore's 2-year-old Triple Crown winning stallion Pierro stood for in his first season in 2013.
But he will be likely the third most expensive of the sons of Redoute's Choice on Arrowfield's roster. Not A Single Doubt stood for $99,000 last season and dual Australian champion sire Snitzel stood for $220,000. Pariah stood for $22,000 and Scissor Kick $16,500. The 2019 stud fee announcements are expected this month.
The Autumn Sun returning to scale after his win in the G1 Golden Rose
A joint venture has been established between Hermitage and Arrowfield to acquire mares specifically for The Autumn Sun, while Arrowfield has also committed several mares for his first book.
Hermitage's Australian manager Olly Koolman admitted this week that some of the seven fillies it purchased at the Easter Sale were bought with the intention of eventually sending them to the stallion.
A brilliant career
The Autumn Sun's brilliant racing career began at Randwick on Anzac Day last year with an easy win over 1200m. He won his next start over 1400m a month later and then headed third up into the G1 JJ Atkins at Doomben, where he beat Zousain (Zoustar) and Fundamentalist (Not A Single Doubt).
He resumed in the spring over 1500m, where he suffered his only defeat when third in the G2 Stan Fox S, but he atoned for that with a brilliant come-from-behind win in the G1 Golden Rose.
The colt then romped home in the G1 Caulfield Guineas by 4.5l, before returning in the autumn to win the G2 Hobartville S, the G1 Randwick Guineas and the G1 Rosehill Guineas.
Watch: The Autumn Sun winning the G1 Rosehill Guineas
"The quality of The Autumn Sun's race record also reflects the skill and dedication of trainer Chris Waller and his team, and we're very grateful for their care and management of him," Messara said.
"We're very grateful for their care and management of him." - John Messara
He was bred as part of a joint venture with the Aga Khan, who owns his dam Azmiyna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
She had five foals in Australia, with The Autumn Sun's three-quarter brother by Not A Single Doubt selling for $900,000 at this week's Easter Sale to Aquis Farm.
While Azmiyna has returned home, there is a Snitzel weanling colt, the full brother to the now 2-year-old filly that Waller and Guy Mulcaster paid $1.3m for at last year's Easter Sale.
The Autumn Sun's dam Azmiyna with the Not A Single Doubt colt who sold for $900,000 as a yearling at this week's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale
