Widden will be the pace setter this season with the inclusion of the four time Group1 winner, Trapeze Artist, and Written By, both to stand at Widden Stud for the forth coming breeding season.

Trapeze Artist is a proven Group 1 horse having won the prestigious T J Smith Stakes, the Canterbury Stakes, All Aged Stakes, and the Golden Rose.

He won’t lack for opportunities at Widden having won four Group1s, they are like gold, success is almost assured.

Staying stallions went out with laced up boots, Black Type is almost a license to print money, and youth is an added bonus.

His service fee has been set for his first season at $90,000 plus GST, the highest service fee for a first season sire ever in the Southern Hemisphere.

He is by Snitzel, whose progeny earnings last season were almost $30 million, he is on track again this season with over $20 million to his credit.

His dam, Treppes is by Domesday from Trapeze by Bletchingly, she missed to Pierro last season, whilst previous year her foal by Zoustar died.

Trapeze Artist will be joined shortly by Zoustar, who is about to complete a shuttle service to Tweenhill Stud Gloustershire, as the Northern Hemisphere breeding season begins to wind down.

Zoustar covered 243 mares at a service fee of $60,000 last season, which has since been increased to $140,000 plus GST.

Written By is another inclusion on the stallion roster by Written Tycoon, standing his initial season at $22,000 including GST.

Trapeze Artist

Written By, the brilliant two year old winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes, will stand at Widden Stud this season, in the Widden Valley of New South Wales.

Owned by the Begg family of Sydney, and trained by Graham Begg at Caulfield, the colt will take on stud duties in the forthcoming breeding season that commences in September.

He is going to let down into a very nice horse, a sparkling chestnut, there is a lot to like about him, he was passed in at auction for $65,000, obviously there must have been a blackout, or someone was having forty winks.

Entires are being put to stud much earlier, the emphasis now is on youth, Written By is the example and there are others, Merchant Navy, Flying Artie , Capitalist and Winning Rupert, all former good two year olds.

There is no demand for horses with staying pedigrees any longer; it’s all about a quick return, and the shorter the races have become it suits all concerned.  

By today’s standards Written By has done enough, he a has better than a fifty per cent winning strike rate, not every sire can boast that, he will get the opportunity that he deserves and above all, he is retiring at the right time of the year before the winter sets in.

He is in his third year, which is not uncommon; it is practiced abroad, particularly in France with a great deal of success.

Written By won 6 races from 11starts, a number of successful sires to win the race include Redoute’s Choice, Sepoy, Bel Esprit, Reward For Effort, and Hurricane Sky.

His dam, Vau Chin, has an unusual double cross in her pedigree as her sire line Tobougg, dam line third remove is Hopespringseternal, and the third dam on her male line is also Hopespringseternal.

Written By winning the Blue Diamond Stakes

Drawing 21 in a field of 21 didn’t concern Glen Boss, he took it all in his stride, he has no nerves, or they were not showing.

The only drawback was he was in Singapore and he had to get to Randwick to ride Brutal in the $3 million Doncaster Handicap, and the horse had drawn 21 at the gate.

One of the part owners asked “what’s the plan? “ Michael Hawkes said we have just paid Boss $8,000, he came out first class and he going back business class.”

Boss was as cool as a cucumber, he has been there before, he had ridden six Doncaster’s winners previously, and this was going to be number seven.

He had no doubt that Brutal would be out of trouble from the outside, Boss gave him a great ride, the horse jumped cleanly and had an uninterrupted run.

It was the perfect ride, he sat outside of Dreamforce for most of the trip until it was time to get busy, it was nearly an armchair ride, the colt was very impressive .

Brutal winning the Doncaster Handicap

Tuesday was a sad day at Arrowfield with the stud’s news of the passing of Redoute’s Choice.

There were no dry eyes either as the great horse was lowered into his resting place, and spare a thought for Joe Hickey, his constant groom and attendant for 11 years.

Man and beast can build up a very strong relationship that is how it was with Redoute’s Choice.

He proved to be a very good two year old winning the Blue Diamond Stakes defeating Testa Rossa, and trained on to three, winning five races from ten starts, he was only out of a place three times.

John Messara prefers to stand stallions that have not been over raced, it has proved a resounding success with Redoutes Choice, and now with his son, Snitzel, whose progeny last season were just short of $30 million.

Redoutes Choice has proved the greatest sire ever bred in Australia, he has shuttled on more than one occasion, has sired to date 32 Group1 winners, and sired 72 individual yearlings that have sold for one million or more, and a colt that topped the list at 5 million.

The son of Danehill was 22, he was humanely euthanized after suffering mobility problems which could not he restored, despite intensive care by Arrowfield ‘s veterinary team

Redoute's Choice at Arrowfield

Sunlight had too much gas in the tank, she simply ran her rivals into the ground winning the William Reid Stakes.

She bounced from the starting gate like a rocket and soon burnt off Written By when he attempted to go with her, she is in a class of her own, she is an outstanding filly.

She was among the Widden draft of 2017, Lot 471 sold for $300,000 at the Magic Millions Sales of 2017.

Sunlight is by Zoustar, a speed sire that raced lightly, he only had 9 starts, won 6 races, a dual Group 1 success he is currently shuttling to Tween Hills Stud in Gloustershire UK.

The future for Sunline now is basically set weigh races, she will be weighted out of handicaps from herein.

Sunlight wins the William Reid