While the Hunter Valley stallion parades are all about showing the best of the best stallions to broodmare owners and the racing fraternity, Newgate Farm are rightly protective of their superstar Extreme Choice and while he did not make an appearance in their high octane parades over the past weekend I was treated to a one on one visit with the reclusive champion in his paddock.
Extreme Choice recently clocked up his 100th runner with four crops of foals to race and as a comparison his barn mate Capitalist, who also went to stud in 2017, has had 441 in the same time period.
Those 100 runners for Extreme Choice (all conceived at fees of either $38,500 first year and then $22,000 for his next three seasons) have produced 70 winners, so 70% winners to runners and his 12 stakes-winners represent 12% SW to runner headed by his Group I winners She’s Extreme, Espiona and Stay Inside, who is set to cover his third book of mares at Newgate this spring.
While She’s Extreme and Espiona have both now been retired to stud with the former purchased by Coolmore for $3.4million at Inglis Chairman’s and the latter bought by Yulong for $4.15million through MM virtual, Extreme Choice is not short of talented new stars on the rise.
Champion trainer Chris Waller has become a fan of his offspring having prepared Espiona and he has two very smart three year-olds with their sights on the spring in quality colt Emirate and untapped filly Extremely Hardys.
Extreme Choice has had well documented fertility and health issues, however he looks fit and well heading into spring and Henry Field is hopeful the two time Group I winning son of Not a Single Doubt can leave a lasting legacy for the farm.
“He can get a bit stressed in a parade environment, so we don’t show him any more with the others, but as you can see he’s very well and is a happy horse,” Field said.
“Statistically he is the best active stallion in the country.
“My wife always says she can tell the state of my mood by Extreme Choice. When he gets a mare in foal it’s a good day!”
Standing at a fee of $275,000, Extreme Choice covers small numbers of mares all year round and those born to Northern Hemisphere time may eventually find themselves racing in Europe, but the future for him in Australia this season looks bright with his best bred crop of two year-olds about to take flight.
They were highly sought after at the sales this year with his top sellers above and five of his colts sold for $1million or more with three of them already being named.
The $1.6million colt from Wanted Lady is called Guardsman with Michael Freedman to train.
The $1.45million colt from Euroboss is called Tour de France with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to train.
The $1.2million colt from Coco as in Chanel (USA) is called Pimlico with John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
