Madame Andree never made it to the racetrack and was retired to the Arrowfield broodmare band after two trials, but the impression she left on Messara with her trackwork ensured she would be given the best possible chance to produce something to do justice to her raw talent.
"She was a horse that seemed to have unlimited ability. I had her at the same time as I was training (three-time Group 1 winner) Ortensia, and I thought she was going to be an absolute star. She did a couple of pieces of work with Ortensia, and she was an absolute freak of a thing," Messara told TDN AusNZ.
"Unfortunately, she did a tendon and never made it to the track and what she showed us prior to that was very impressive.
"When you look at the breeding record of Madame Andree and have a quick look at the pedigree, you would think we had massively overmated her, but the reason for that was off the back of my opinion of her."
As a racehorse, and a broodmare prospect, Madame Andree boasted a very interesting international pedigree. She was by G1 Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem (USA), out of an unplaced Japanese mare, Glamour Stock (Jpn), (Sunday Silence {USA}), who is a half-sister to four stakes winners, including champion Canadian 2-year-old colt and Grade 1 winner Exciting Story (USA) (Diablo {USA}).
War Emblem was famously reluctant to serve mares in his time at Shadai Stallion Station and produced just 124 foals across his eight seasons, but he was able to get Glamour Stock in foal Southern Hemisphere time before she was shipped to Arrowfield in late 2008.
Arrowfield's Paul and John Messara
"War Emblem was a pretty good stallion, but he wouldn’t cover mares in Japan. This was one of the test mares to try and get the stallion going Southern Hemisphere time, and as a result, she was bred to him and came out here. That's how we ended up with Madame Andree," Messara said.
While the filly was never able to get the job done on the track, Madame Andree was able to produce excellent types as a broodmare.
Progeny shape up in sales ring
Arrrowfield retained her first two fillies by Redoute's Choice, the dual winner Madame Pauline and the unraced Nancy Grace, both are now broodmares themselves. The colt by Snitzel, to be named Battleground, was a $900,000 yearling buy by James Harron at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Twelve months later, Anders went through the same sales ring and was snapped up by Aquis Farm and Ciaron Maher Racing for $670,000.
Anders was sold for $670,000 as a yearling to Aquis Farm and Ciaron Maher Racing from the draft of Arrowfield
"I always thought she could be a good horse and this one might be it," Messara said. "She's a beautiful type, albeit a bit of a late developer, but her offspring have been very attractive horses.
"Anders was outstanding, an absolutely beautiful type and outstanding in the yearling sales ring. I was trying to push one of my friends to buy him at the time, and he's regretting that now. I rang him on Saturday and told him there's the horse you were supposed to buy!"
"I always thought she could throw a good horse and this one might be it." - Paul Messara
"He was such a lovely yearling and a standout individual."
Anders debuted at the Gold Coast back in January, finishing sixth behind Wisdom Of Water (Headwater). He returned to racing with a second behind the promising Peltzer (So You Think {NZ}) at Kembla Grange in April before breaking his maiden with a 6.6l victory at Wyong in May.
He was given a spell after his victory at Rosehill in late May and returned to the same track first-up on Saturday, powering away to a 4.8l success for his first stakes win.
The enthusiasm the Maher and David Eustace stable and owners Aquis have for the 3-year-old suggests he could be a horse that graduates towards races such as the G1 Golden Rose S. and The Everest this time in.
Another star by Not A Single Doubt
Anders became the fifth stakes winner from that current crop of 3-year-olds by recently pensioned Arrowfield stallion Not A Single Doubt, an amazing record from just 44 starters from that crop.
"Not A Single Doubt has been a phenomenon and the older he gets, the better the crops have been coming. I think we bred them better," Messara, who is also General Manager at Arrowfield, said.
"You learn a lot about your horses and there is no doubt we learned about him and how to breed to him, and that has been proven by the stakes horses he has had."
The recently retired Not A Single Doubt
Madame Andree's 2-year-old colt by Shalaa (Ire) was purchased for $360,000 by George Moore Bloodstock and Gary Moore Racing at this year's Magic Millions Sale, while she had a now yearling filly by Snitzel and is in foal to another Arrowfield stallion in Pariah. She will return to Shalaa this year.
Success flows to France
Anders' success was the start of a good weekend for his breeders, with the Arrowfield colours carried to victory by Skyward (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) in the G3 Prix de Reux at Deauville on Sunday.
The Fabrice Chappet-trained 4-year-old was having his third run for 2020 and stepping to the 2500 metres for the first time, he showed a strong kick to win under Stephane Pasquier.
"It was fantastic to see," Messara said. "We bought him as a Melbourne Cup hopeful and he's bounced back really well. They found a small issue with him and they have sorted that out and he was back to his best.
"He's only lightly raced and has a lot of upside. We bought him for the Melbourne Cup, so we’d like to go down that direction if at all possible.
"We will have a discussion this week. We need to work out what we can do with him and what options we have in the current environment."
