Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Australia
The trailblazing son of Danehill Dancer (Ire) was the first Australian-trained horse to win at Royal Ascot, claiming both the G2 King's Stand S. and G1 Golden Jubilee S. for trainer Paul Perry in the space of four days in 2003 before being given his chance as a dual-hemisphere stallion for Coolmore.
Pensioned from stud duty in 2020 after 17 seasons, he recently marked his 100th global stakes winner with the victory of Festival Dancer in the G3 Spring S., at Newcastle. Among his stakes winners in 12 countries were 11 Group 1 winners, highlighted by four of his sire sons, Olympic Glory (Ire), Starspangledbanner, Divine Prophet and The Mission.
Gallery: Some of Choisir's sire sons
Coolmore Australia confirmed Choisir's death on Tuesday, with principal Tom Magnier praising the chestnut for the legacy which he has left behind.
“I was lucky enough to be at Ascot in 2003 to witness his incredible triumphs on the Tuesday and then the Saturday where he was ridden by Johnny Murtagh," Magnier said.
Tom Magnier | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
"It was a great achievement for his trainer Paul Perry and paved the way for future Australian sprinters to compete with distinction on the world stage.
"Since he retired to the farm in 2003 he has been a favourite with all those who have worked with him, especially our long-time Stallion Manager Gerry Ryan who was particularly fond of him.
"Since he (Choisir) retired to the farm in 2003 he has been a favourite with all those who have worked with him, especially our long-time Stallion Manager Gerry Ryan who was particularly fond of him." - Tom Magnier
"Choisir was the ultimate professional in all he did and every Stud dreams of having a stallion like him. We are so grateful to him and he will be sorely missed by the entire Coolmore team."
From humble beginnings
Bred by Ross Daisley and foaled in 1999, Choisir was from the second Australian crop of Coolmore shuttle stallion Danehill Dancer and was out of metropolitan-winning Lunchtime (GB) mare Great Selection.
Paul Perry | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Choisir was offered through the Alabama Stud draft at the 2001 Inglis Classic Sale, with Perry paying $55,000 to secure him.
“We liked the way he was bred, being by Danehill Dancer,” Perry told TDN AusNZ earlier this year. “You look at a lot of horses at the yearling sales, but we were really taken by the way he presented."
He wasted little time making an impression on the racetrack, winning the Listed Breeders' Plate, Sydney's first 2-year-old race of the season, under jockey Lenny Beasley.
“You look at a lot of horses at the yearling sales, but we were really taken by the way he (Choisir) presented." - Paul Perry
He returned in the summer and proved himself an incredibly consistent and durable juvenile, winning the Inglis 2YO Classic by nearly 3l, and then, off a short break, claiming the G3 Skyline S. before finishing second in the G2 Pago Pago S., and third in both the G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Champagne S. behind Calaway Gal (Clang).
As a spring 3-year-old, he was placed in the G2 Stan Fox S., G1 Caulfield Guineas, before losing the G2 L'Oreal Plate, the race on Victoria Derby Day which would evolve into the Coolmore Stud S., in a controversial protest. He then defeated the older horses in the G2 Emirates Classic the following Thursday.
Choisir confirmed his status as one of the country's top sprinters when winning the G1 Lightning S. first-up in the autumn, before running third in the G1 Oakleigh Plate.
Choisir when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Plans were made for Choisir to contest the G1 Krisflyer Sprint in Singapore, but the outbreak of SARS saw that race cancelled, putting the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot on the agenda.
“I used to always watch that race, because it was the main sprint race, but that was about all I knew,” the trainer said. “We’d taken horses to Hong Kong before, and I had seen what had come from England before from those races, and they hadn’t done that well in Hong Kong. So I thought we’d be right up there.”
A Royal achievement
Based at the Newmarket yard of Geoff Wragg, Perry and Choisir plotted the most audacious of upsets, and the sprinter delivered in the King's Stand S. on the Tuesday. Perry then backed him up on the Saturday in the now Group 1 feature, which up until 2002 had been known as the Cork and Orrery S.
Geoff Wragg | Image courtesy of TDN Europe
“He was such a deep, big horse that could stand that. The first run really topped him off for the second run, and he was a relaxed, good-doing horse. He could handle it,” Perry said.
Choisir defeated Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}) and became the first horse since Stanerra (Ire) (Guillaume Tell {USA}) in 1983 to win twice at the Royal Meeting, and the first horse in 83 years to win the King’s Stand-Golden Jubilee double.
“He (Choisir) was such a deep, big horse that could stand that. The first run really topped him off for the second run, and he was a relaxed, good-doing horse. He could handle it." - Paul Perry
He would have one more run, finishing second to Oasis Dream (GB) in the G1 July Cup before retiring to Coolmore.
What he did at Royal Ascot was pave the way for an era of Australian domination of the major sprint races for the following decade.
The King's Stand won by Takeover Target (Celtic Swing {GB}) in 2006, Miss Andretti (Ihtiram {GB}) in 2007 and Scenic Blast (Scenic {Ire}) in 2010, while his son Starspangledbanner (2009) and unbeaten superstar Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) (2012) would win the Golden Jubilee/Diamond Jubilee.
From the barn
Choisir covered his first book of 158 mares in the Australian spring of 2003 and shuttled to the Northern Hemisphere from 2004 to 2010 as well as 2014 and 2015. He has the remarkable record of producing stakes winners from his every crop in both hemispheres.
Hurried Choice when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
His first stakes winner was Hurried Choice in the Listed Gimcrack S. in 2006, while his first Group 1 winner came when Starspangledbanner won the 2009 Caulfield Guineas. As mentioned, that colt would go on to emulate his sire by winning the Golden Jubilee S. the following year, while he also won the G1 July Cup before joining his sire at Coolmore.
Choisir's first Northern Hemisphere-bred Group 1 winner came in 2012 when Olympic Glory won the G1 Prix Jean Luc Legardere, while he also had a Grade 1 winner in the United States through Obviously (Ire).
Obviously (Ire) | Image courtesy of Benoit
His progeny proved incredibly versatile, winning stakes races from 1000 metres up to 2500 metres. He produced 1211 winners, with combined earnings across his global progeny in excess of $130 million. He has finished in the top 10 in the Australian Sires' table on five occasions.
Choisir proved a commercial success as well, never standing at more than $35,750 (inc GST), but with his 1286 progeny sold as yearlings averaging over $66,000, with a top price of $560,000.
Legacy well-poised to continue
He has left a strong legacy as a sire of sires, with Starspangledbanner, whose State Of Rest (Ire) recently won the G1 Cox Plate, leading the way with 21 stakes winners. Starspangledbanner shuttles from Coolmore Ireland to Rosemont Stud in Victoria.
State Of Rest (Ire), winner of the 2021 W.S Cox Plate | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Olympic Glory, who shuttled to Arrowfield Stud for three seasons, has produced 10 stakes winners, while the ill-fated The Wow Signal (Ire), the Rich Hill-based Proisir, Stimulation (Ire) and young Aquis stallion Divine Prophet have also been stakes-producing sires.
The Mission, also based at Aquis, is currently leading the first-season sire rankings in Australia.
As a broodmare sire, Choisir is also leaving a substantial influence. His daughters have produced 23 stakes winners, among them G1 Thousand Guineas winner Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the sprinter Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}), who this year emulated his damsire by winning the King's Stand S.
