The win of Baraqiel in the Moir Stakes not only enhanced the remarkable record of his dam, Angel Of Mercy, but also the legacy of two of Arrowfield’s most influential stallions of the 21st century, Snitzel and Hussonet.
For the second year running, the winner of the Moir Stakes was a half-brother to a previous Group 1 winner, with Baraqiel adding to the excellent record of his dam, Angel Of Mercy, who also produced last year’s ATC Australian Oaks heroine Autumn Angel.
Last year’s Moir winner Mornington Glory is a half-brother to elite winner Hallowed Crown, with both out of Crowned Glory. Like Angel Of Mercy, who was runner-up in the Tatts Tiara, Crowned Glory was also placed at Group 1 level.
Producing multiple Group 1 winners is a rare feat for a broodmare. Others to have done it in recent times include Baggy Green and her dam Starspangled, St Therese, Helsinge, Parfore, Essaouira, Accessories (who is also the dam of Saturday’s Group 2 Tramway Stakes winner Pericles) and New Zealand-based Bagalollies.
Further back are the likes of blue hens Shantha’s Choice, Shadea and Eight Carat.
Angel Of Mercy belongs to a successful family descending from Prego mare My Madonna.
She spent much of her time at the famed Mill Park nursery in South Australia and her best horse was the Hurricane Sky filly Divine Madonna, a three-time Group 1 winner. She was also the dam of Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1 placegetter Blessum.
My Madonna’s first foal was Clay Hero filly Pieta, whose best horse was Angel Of Mercy, a filly by Hussonet. She won four stakes race and was purchased by Northern Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida as a broodmare. She has produced four winners from six runners, including two stars.
Autumn Angel, by The Autumn Sun, may have been foaled two years later than her older half-brother Baraqiel, but she got her Group 1 win as a three-year-old before he had even had his first start. She was sold to Yulong for $1.225 million last year and is set to foal to Panthalassa this spring.
Baraqiel has endured a torrid run of setbacks and injury and didn’t break his maiden until he was a late five-year-old. Shortly after a 5 per cent share in him was sold on Inglis Digital for $11,000 (valuing him at $220,000). He has since won seven of his next 11 starts for Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin, including Saturday’s Group 1 success, to bank over $1.1 million.
Other stakes winners to descend from My Madonna include Todman Stakes winner Tentyris, Group 3 winner Live To Tell and Listed winner Maternal. In the first three generations from that mare, there have been eight stakes winners and four other stakes placegetters, including three Group 1 winners, from 123 foals.
The Arrowfield influence is all over Baraqiel. Bred on the famous farm and sold by them for $150,000 as a yearling in 2020, he is the 24th Group 1 winner for the late great Snitzel and the first by that sire out of a mare by one-time Arrowfield resident Hussonet.
Snitzel ‘s progeny have now won seven Group 1 races in the past 11 months. across five individual horses. He is now just a whisker behind leader Zoustar in the early race to be crowned champion sire of Australia.
Hussonet’s legacy is still felt almost 10 years after his death at age 25 at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia.
His career itinerary – from stakes-placed at Aqueduct for trainer Bill Mott on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed, to seven-time champion stallion in Chile and then to Arrowfield and Cornerstone - may have him stamped as a journeyman, but that term does him an injustice.
He didn’t arrive in Australia until he was 12, but his first Arrowfield crop produced seven stakes winners, including Australian Racehorse of the Year Weekend Hussler. He followed that up with five, three, five, six and seven stakes winners from his next five crops.
From 2007 to 2008, his Australian service fee more than tripled from $38,500 to $137,500 as it became clear that he was providing an ultra-valuable outcross for Danehill line mares.
John Messara described him as the most left-field stallion purchase Arrowfield had ever made, but he ended up with 30 Australian stakes winners from 596 runners, with Weekend Hussler joined by Eagle Falls and Reaan as Australian-bred Group 1 winners.
He was sold to Cornerstone in 2010.
Hussonet’s progeny record
His influence remains strong in Australia thanks to his daughters, who have produced 35 stakes winners and nine Group 1 winners. Seven of those nine elite Australian winners for Hussonet as a broodmare sire have been by Danehill-line stallions.
Among that collection is record-breaking Newgate sire Extreme Choice along with Coolmore’s King’s Legacy.
The nick of Snitzel with Hussonet mares has produced 20 winners from 24 runners, for two stakes winners.
In terms of sire sons, Husson (Lucky Hussler), Host (Eduardo) and Rios (Gaultier) all produced Group 1 winners.
