The successful Redoute’s Choice sire dynasty has a newcomer in its ranks this year who boasts a dose in his pedigree of the legendary Bernborough.
Queensland-bred Bernborough became an equine folklore hero in the 1940s by winning 15 races, all stakes, in succession.
The sequence ended when he ran fourth under 68kg in the 1946 Caulfield Cup. His racing carreer came to a sudden end two weeks later when he injured a sesamoid in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington.
Sold to Hollywood movie maker Louis B Mayer, Bernborough became a prominent American sire standing at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky.Among his offspring was Berseem, a champion American sprinter, world mile recod holder Bernwood and nine time winner and sire Hook Money.
Used at the Cheveley Park Stud in the UK, Hook Money is the sire of Clariden, the dam of eight winners including St Clair Star.The latter produced nine winners, the best being St Clair Ridge by the Ahonoora sire Indian Ridge.
She was a G2 winner in Ireland and America and is the dam of Cat By The Tale (Tale of the Cat), a G2 winner and G1 placed in California.Cat By The Tale has gone on to produce two stakes performers by Redoute’s Choice at Arrowfield Stud, the filly Tale Of Choice and colt Raphael’s Cat.
Raphael’s Cat is the new addition to the Redoute’s Choice sire dynasty this year, standing at Oxley Island Thoroughbreds near Taree, on the NSW north coast.Trained by Gai Waterhouse, Raphael’s Cat’s short career of six starts saw him win over 1100m at Rosehill on debut and 1200m at Canterbury.
He went on to finish second in the G2 Danehill Stakes at Flemington and fourth in the Listed Blue Sapphire at Caulfield.Raphael’s Cat’s sixth dam Priory Hill is a half-sister to Alcimedes, twice champion Australian sire.
Priory Hill and Alcimedes go back four generations to Rothesay Bay, a half-sister to Scapa Flow, dam of world breed shaping brothers Pharos and Fairway.Oxley Island has stood a number of sires over the years including now retired Home On The Grange.
