Dubois weighing up Champagne option for talented Astern colt Arnaqueur
Promising two-year-old Arnaqueur (Astern) is no guarantee to back up in Saturday’s ATC Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick as trainer Jean Dubois ponders the ramifications of raising the bar with the well-bred colt in his first racing campaign.
Bred and owned by the David Chaikin-owned Woodpark Stud, a Southern Highland property managed by Dubois, Arnaqueur won his first start at Kembla Grange on April 3 and was immediately tested at stakes level in last Saturday’s Fernhill Handicap (Listed, 1600m) at Randwick.
The half-brother to Dubois’ Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Aylmerton (Siyouni) ran on from last to finish fourth, two lengths behind Converge (Frankel), prompting the Southern Highlands-based trainer to enter the colt for the Group 1 1600-metre juvenile race seven days later.
“He pulled up well, he looks in good shape, but it’s a tough ask with just seven days in between runs. I don’t know if it’s too much to ask of him,” Frenchman Dubois told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“He did very well last Saturday. He was a bit unlucky at the top of the straight, he was bumped by another horse. He was a little bit unbalanced for a while and then he ran on well. The third horse came underneath him, so all in all, it was a good run but is it good enough for a Group 1? I doubt it.”
The third foal out of Aloona (Smart Strike), a US-bred, European-winning mare, Arnaqueur was withdrawn from last year’s Easter sale and retained to race.
“On the advice of Royston (Murphy) from Sledmere, he said to me it was better to keep him because the Asterns were a bit cold and we couldn’t expect more than $100,000 and we weren’t prepared to let him go for that kind of money, so that’s why we retained him,” Dubois explained.
“He’s very much in the mould (of his grandsire) Medaglia D’Oro, leggy and long, quite narrow and Medaglia was not a precocious horse either.
“He was a champion at four, so time will be good for him, too, hopefully.”
Aloona is the gift which keeps on giving, with Dubois selling a Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) colt out of her at the recent Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $1 million through the Lime Country Thoroughbreds draft.
“That was emotional (to get that sort of money at auction), but he was a really good type,” he said.
“He was more of an Australian type, a bit stockier, sharper and he was a bit bigger than Aylmerton as Aylmerton was a first foal, and a small foal.
“(The Not A Single Doubt colt) was a good type, a good walker with a good temperament and he will be trained by a great trainer (Chris Waller) and he will get every chance.”
Aloona has a weanling filly by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) but she did not get in foal last year.
While the Snitzel filly will have immense commercial sale appeal, Dubois hopes to retain her to race as well, having parted with Aloona’s second foal, a Smart Missile (Fastnet Rock) filly for $360,000.
She was bought by Anthony Cummings and agent Duncan Ramage at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and races for a partnership which includes Kia Ora. The three-year-old ran third at Scone yesterday.
“If I can help it, I don’t think she (Snitzel filly) will go to the sales because I have already sold the first filly out of her, so I would like to keep a filly,” he said.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry because you never know what can happen. If I can keep her, I will.”
As for Arnaqueur, one of four winners from 17 runners for his Darley first season sire Astern, he is expected to be spelled either immediately or after the Champagne Stakes depending on how Dubois assesses his trackwork this morning.