The best of breeding, the best of type, the best of temperament, the best of raw ability. The Best Choice for your mare!

Lynden Park Stallions and Bombora Downs are proud to announce the addition of exciting first season stallion Best Choice to the 2012 Bombora Downs roster, the imposing four-year-old on his way to Victoria after a premature retirement due to injury.

To stand alongside fellow Lynden Park stallions Desert King and Golden Snake, Best Choice was exceptionally highly regarded, described by his trainer Clarry Conners as “a pretty special horse.” Adding that Best Choice showed “heaps of ability from day one,” Conners was keen to get the eye-catching 16.2hh entire to the track at two, shin soreness and a virus delaying his debut.

But it was to be a debut worth waiting for, at Canterbury on September 8, 2010 Best Choice overcoming interference to claim a 1250m event – going wide at the turn and charging home. It was a win that set tongues wagging and Conners was not backward in his praise.

“I’ve got a really, really big opinion of him,” he enthused, adding that he had not been as excited about a young horse “since Mouawad.” Confident that Best Choice would go on to much bigger and better things, Conners said “we will give him a couple more runs, win a couple more races with him, win some black type, and give him a break – it will be easy!” Jockey Peter Robl was also impressed. “He is a lovely big horse,” he said. “He has a good stride, a stallion’s pedigree and a terrific attitude to go with it.”

"Best Choice"

Sadly things did not go to plan for Best Choice whose promising career was cut short when he knocked a tendon. And so a horse with great natural ability and an outstanding pedigree will be made available to Victorian breeders and a great value fee of just $3300 (incl gst). “We are delighted and proud to offer Best Choice to breeders this spring,” Lynden Park Stallions’ Julie Nairn said, “and we thank his owner Mr Wilfred Ng for giving us the opportunity to stand him.”

Also thanking Hong Kong racing personality Apollo Ng and local bloodstock expert Kristen Manning for organising the deal, Nairn is looking forward to showing Best Choice off to breeders. “He is such a great looking horse,” she said, “and I can see why Clarry had such a high opinion of him – he is a muscular, athletic stallion with plenty of scope and a great presence.”

Bombora’s Christoph Bruechert is equally taken by Best Choice’s physique – “he really catches the eye,” he said, “and I am sure all who see him will be impressed. Stallions standing their first year must represent great value for breeders,” he added, “and we think a fee of $3300 is such value! Being a half-brother to the fastest horse of his time by a proven sire of sires, Best Choice offers so much.”

As his name suggests Best Choice is by Danehill’s champion son Redoute’s Choice – four times Gr.1 winning leading sire of 89 stakes winners including 21 Gr.1 winners. And a proven sire maker, already ten of Redoute’s Choice’s sons siring stakes winners, the likes of Stratum, Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt in great form.

Not only is Best Choice a member of a thriving sire line, but he is out of one of Australia’s finest broodmares – Jade Tiara. A talented racemare who won her first two starts at two and three at Moonee Valley and Caulfield, Jade Tiara has really made her mark at stud – her first foal an international superstar and one of the all- time great sprinters. Silent Witness, winner of 18 races including his first 17 – nine of his memorable successes coming at Gr.1 level. A popular attraction at Living Legends where he is the highest prize money earner amongst an illustrious group, Silent Witness earned many titles during his amazing career – including World Champion Sprinter, Hong Kong Horse Of The Year (twice) and Hong Kong Champion Sprinter (three times). And he even made into Time Magazine’s top 100 “people” in 2004! It is one thing for a broodmare to produce one horse of exceptional ability, but Jade Tiara is a special mare.

Her second foal, Crown Rubiton, was also extremely well thought of – only just beaten at his Moonee Valley debut but going amiss and not racing for over three years and showing great heart to win three races as an older horse.

Very Fit by Woodman was Jade Tiara’s next, Group placed in Hong Kong and the winner of five races. A couple of years later along came Empress Jade by Encosta de Lago. A metropolitan winner, she would not scale the heights but she has made an exciting start to her career as a broodmare – her first foal being the dual Gr.2 winning three-year-old Empress Rock.

Visiting Redoute’s Choice for the first time in 2005, Jade Tiara produced Sister Madly – last start Gr.2 Salinger Stakes winner and successful in two other Group races, the How Now Stakes and the Southern Cross Stakes.

A year later Best Choice appeared on the scene and Jade Tiara’s next foal also shows excellent potential – the Paul Messara trained filly Silla Regalis in the placings at her first two starts off a five length trial victory and described by Messara as “a magnificent filly with plenty of ability.”

Bred on a 4 X 4 cross of the speed influence Bletchingly (as are 13 of Redoute’s Choice’s stakes winners), Best Choice is a young horse bound to impress.

For further details contact Julie Nairn (0402 901 910) or Christoph Bruechert (0419 534 961) and click here to visit Best Choice’s Facebook page. And note that there are Early Bird specials available as well as special discounts for mares by El Moxie (sire of Silent Witness) and free nominations (conditions apply) for stakes winning mares and stakes producing mares.