Champion sire Redoute's Choice added a remarkable result to his record when he was responsible for two Group One wins by full brothers on the same program in South Africa on Saturday.
Redoute’s Choice has previously had a same track, same day G1 double more than a decade ago when Nadeem and Snitzel won the Blue Diamond Stakes and Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in 2006.
Sheikh Hamdan's colts Mustaaqeem and Rafeef, both by Redoute's Choice out of South African Horse of the Year National Colour and both Arrowfield Stud graduates of the 2016 Easter Sale in Sydney, landed the special double.
After an impressive) debut win, the 2YO colt Mustaaqeem started favourite in the R1 million South African Nursery (1160m) sprinted smoothly away from his rivals to score by four lengths from his stablemate Naafer.Sheik Hamdan’s agent Angus Gold paid $1.75 million for the colt, the third highest price of the 2016 sale and more than twice the $800,000 Shadwell Stud paid for Rafeef at the same sale in 2014.
Rafeef has found top sprinting form this season, winning four of his six starts including the G2 Hawaii Stakes before Staurday’s victory in the R1 million Computaform Sprint (1000m).Both horses were bred by Arrowfield Stud in partnership with South Africa’s Klawervlei Stud and they are prepared for Sheikh Hamdan by champion trainer Mike de Kock.
Their dam National Colour, herself a three-time G1 winner, has a yearling filly in the Arrowfield stable, a weanling colt by Redoute's Choice and is again in foal to him.Redoute's Choice's now boaysts 32 G1 winners among 146 lifetime stakeswinners.
Mustaqeem is the super sire's eighth G1 juvenile winner and joins Ardrossan, successful on Saturday in New Zealand, on his list of 36 2YO stakes winners.They are among the six stakes winners from Arrowfield's yearling crop of 2016 including Invader (G1 ATC Sires' Produce), Gunnison (G2 Todman Stakes), Pariah (G3 Canonbury Stakes) and Listed winner Azazel.
