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We&rsquo;re delighted to announce the expansion of our team as we continue to meet increasing client demand and pursue our Group 1 ambitions. This week, we welcome Will Macdonald as Sales and Marketing Manager at Astute Bloodstock, based in Sydney. Will brings an impressive blend of horsemanship, international exposure, and bloodstock knowledge. A graduate of the prestigious Irish National Stud Breeding Management Course, he was recognised with the Irish Field Blue Hen Award. His career has since taken him across Europe and Australia, with hands-on experience at leading operations including Baroda Stud, Yarraman Park and Widden. He also completed the Goffs Internship in Ireland, gaining valuable insight into the European market. Most recently, Will was part of the Inglis Bloodstock team, where he contributed to pedigree research, yearling inspections, client and vendor relations, and the coordination of both live and digital sales. Alongside his practical experience, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Socio-Legal Studies and Business Law from the University of Sydney, has completed auctioneering training at Inglis, and holds CPD qualifications in real estate and stock &amp; station. With his passion for the thoroughbred industry, global perspective, and strong communication skills, Will is well placed to support our clients and drive Astute Bloodstock&rsquo;s sales and marketing initiatives. We look forward to introducing him to many of you over the coming months. See his contact details below:&nbsp; Will Macdonald +61 499 773 144&nbsp; <a href="mailto:will@astutebloodstock.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will@astutebloodstock.com</a>&nbsp;

Will Macdonald joins Astute

Written by Kit Gow, The Thoroughbred Report In our Breeding Drain or Racing Gain series, it's become clear that we need to find more ways to keep income circulating within Australia. Could shortening Classic races into more desirable targets be the key to reigniting interest in the local middle-distance horse? It's a vicious cycle; low prices at the yearling sales for staying-bred horses drive breeders away. With less horses bred for the Classic races, the fields see a drop in size, quality, and previous performance, which sends owners overseas in search of a superior, ready-made product. 
&ldquo;You win a Derby and you get condemned in the marketplace, but win at Epsom or Kentucky and it&rsquo;s celebrated,&rdquo; Gooree Park&rsquo;s Andrew Baddock told TTR recently after G1 Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon rejoined the roster. &ldquo;It makes no sense. Winning a Derby in Australia pays a price commercially.&rdquo;
If our systems aren&rsquo;t valuing locally-bred stayers enough, perhaps adjusting the distance of the 3-year-old Classic races could make them more appealing to breeders and owners. It might be a case of getting our foot in the door. 
<h3 class="SlateElement">The French connection</h3>
We can look to France for an example of where this principle has worked before.
The G1 Prix du Jockey Club, otherwise known as the French Derby, shortened from 2400 metres to 2100 metres in 2005, an idea initially proposed by then President of France-Galop &Eacute;douard de Rothschild and writ into the racing calendar after a particularly weak edition in 2004.
Astute Bloodstock&rsquo;s Louis Le Metayer singled out France&rsquo;s multiple Champion Trainer Andr&eacute; Fabre as a driving force behind the shortening of the race.
&ldquo;He convinced de Rothschild,&rdquo; Le Metayer said. &ldquo;It was his view that the French Derby was too long, it was too early in the season, the ground was too firm and it was just too testing for horses that had just turned three.&rdquo;
Run at the beginning of June, the French Derby is the sixth Group 1 on the French racing calendar, and occupies an equivalent position to the G1 Victoria Derby.
&ldquo;The race was producing horses that generally weren&rsquo;t quite good enough to go on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, unless they were a rare animal. It was just too long. The perfect build-up was to go shorter, and then on to the 2400-metre Arc later in the year.&rdquo;
The turnaround in form has been tremendous;&nbsp;Shamardal&nbsp;(USA) won the new format race in 2005, and topline winners since include&nbsp;Lope De Vega&nbsp;(Ire),&nbsp;Le Havre&nbsp;(Ire), and&nbsp;Almanzor&nbsp;(Fr), as well as promising shuttle stallion&nbsp;St Mark&rsquo;s Basilica&nbsp;(Fr), who added his first stakes winner from his first crop in August. St Mark&rsquo;s Basilica&rsquo;s first yearlings were well backed at the sales, making up to $700,000 in the ring off of a $44,000 (inc GST) service fee.
Montjeu&nbsp;(Ire) and&nbsp;Darshaan&nbsp;(GB) are the most striking winning sires from the Derby&rsquo;s longer days, with a special mention to&nbsp;Celtic Swing&nbsp;(GB), whose most notable feat in the breeding barn is being the sire of globetrotting star&nbsp;Takeover Target.
&ldquo;If you compare the quality of stallions to win the French Derby since 2005 to the 20 years before, they are chalk and cheese,&rdquo; Le Metayer said. &ldquo;There was a point where Derby winners were becoming National Hunt stallions, and that&rsquo;s why the shift was needed. &ldquo;If you compare the quality of stallions to win the French Derby since 2005 to the 20 years before, they are chalk and cheese.&rdquo; - Louis Le Metayer
&ldquo;My assessment is that it&rsquo;s all well and good having 2400-metre races, but if the program is shortening, then there&rsquo;s no point having this great staying race for 3-year-olds, because we&rsquo;re going to be breeding less and less of those kinds of horses anyway.&rdquo;
<h3 class="SlateElement">The case for going the distance</h3>
A counterpoint in terms of success could be seen in Japan; the 2400-metre G1 Tōkyō Yūshun, the Japanese Derby, has long been a touchstone for 3-year-old colts angling for a stud career. The race has been won by some of Japan&rsquo;s most influential stallions like&nbsp;Deep Impact&nbsp;(Jpn),&nbsp;King Kamehameha&nbsp;(Jpn), and&nbsp;Kizuna&nbsp;(Jpn) - since Deep Impact&rsquo;s first crop of 3-year-olds arrived in 2011, he has sired seven winners of the Japan Derby.
Deep Impact&rsquo;s last crop of foals include the Coolmore bred and raced G1 Epsom Derby&nbsp;Auguste Rodin&nbsp;(Ire), a Group 1 winner at two, three, and four who will shuttle to New Zealand this spring for his first season at stud.
Japan continues to have a lot of respect for middle-distance performers, with Derby winner&nbsp;Adayar&nbsp;(Ire) joining the stallion ranks in 2024 alongside&nbsp;Hukum&nbsp;(Ire), who raced into his sixth year and picked up his Group 1s as a five and 6-year-old. Hukum is also a full brother to the Champion 3YO Miler&nbsp;Baaeed&nbsp;(Ire).
&ldquo;Interestingly, in relation to Adayar, some breeders were explaining to me recently that, of course, the Holy Grail for Japan is to win the Arc, and it's something that Japan has gone close to doing once or twice,&rdquo; Darley Japan&rsquo;s Harry Sweeney told TDN ahead of Adayar&rsquo;s first stallion parades last year."
The G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is run over 2400 metres in October - Kizuna finished fourth in 2013,&nbsp;Orfevre&nbsp;(Jpn) ran second twice, and Deep Impact was third across the line in 2006, although was later disqualified.&nbsp;El Condor Pasa&nbsp;(USA) looked to take the win home to Japan in 1999, only for Montjeu to dash his hopes by half a length.
&ldquo;Someone pointed out to me that since about the last 12 Arcs have all been won by horses from the Northern Dancer line, they were going to breed Sunday Silence-line mares to a son of Galileo, like Frankel, with the hook that they might run well in Europe in addition to Japan.&rdquo;
There are only two Group 1 races in Japan over sprint distances, Sweeney explained, and there is no incentive to shorten any of their races in a country that enjoys seeing horses race on year after year. Japan Derby winner&nbsp;Rey de Oro&nbsp;(Jpn) raced until his fifth season, and his first crop of foals have produced three stakes winners already.
&ldquo;There is no real move to change,&rdquo; Sweeney said. &ldquo;The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity. And I mean that's one thing that's interesting for both of these horses.
<div class="Quote">
<blockquote>&ldquo;The idea of a horse coming out and winning a Group 1 race at two and then going to stud, that really couldn't happen in Japan because breeders want to see soundness, they want to see longevity.&rdquo; - Harry Sweeney</blockquote>
</div>
&ldquo;Adayar won races at two, three, four and five, but actually Hukum was one step better: a winner at two, three, four, five and six. Japanese breeders appreciate that, because we need soundness.&rdquo;
The programming supports this mentality, as Sweeney detailed.
&ldquo;Japan has a great programme for running older horses,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A horse like Ushba Tesoro, for example, who won the Dubai World Cup last year (2023), he stays in training at seven. So we like longevity, and that's one thing that the Japanese breeders will appreciate regarding these horses. They were sound and won over many seasons. There is no rush here to win a big race like the Golden Slipper, or the equivalent, and send them off to stud, absolutely not.&rdquo;
The horse with longevity as well as performance prowess is well respected both on the track and in the stallion barn in Japan, but how can we translate that to Australia? The hinge point still remains at the Classics.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that&nbsp;Galileo&nbsp;(Ire) and&nbsp;High Chaparral&nbsp;(Ire) were both Derby winners who could be considered &ldquo;undesirable&rdquo; in Australia - High Chaparral being sent to stand in New Zealand, who had a greater appreciation for his record - in terms of their commercial appeal, but both have become highly influential on both the stallion ranks and the broodmare population down under.
Group 2-winning 1800-metre horse&nbsp;Black Tide&nbsp;(Jpn) may have lived in the shadow of his younger brother Deep Impact&rsquo;s success, but his impact can be felt strongly in the covering shed as the sire of&nbsp;Kitasan Black&nbsp;(Jpn), who in turn is the sire of two-time Japanese Horse Of The Year and exciting young stallion&nbsp;Equinox&nbsp;(Jpn).
<h3 class="SlateElement">Shorter and sharper</h3>
Le Metayer could see Australia&rsquo;s Derbies being shortened even further than the French Derby to complement the rest of the race program; there are plenty of opportunities at 2000 metres in open company, and it may pay well to set horses up for those kinds of goals.
Three-year-olds winning over a strong 2000 metres could well build further out in distance as their career progresses; the 2400-metre G1 Caulfield Cup, which has some of the best wagering turnover in the country in relation to its prize pool, looms as an obvious target in a 4-year-old spring.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very strange to have the Victoria Derby over 2500 metres in the spring, when horses have just turned three, and then five months later, you have the Australian Derby that&rsquo;s shorter,&rdquo; Le Metayer said.
&ldquo;It should be the other way round. Perhaps really the Derbies should be over 2000 metres, then the really good horses can then try to challenge the Cox Plate (the following spring). Then, we start breeding horses that are stronger over 2000 metres and there&rsquo;s a lot of good races at that distance.&rdquo;
<div class="Quote">
<blockquote>&ldquo;Perhaps really the Derbies should be over 2000 metres, then the really good horses can then try to challenge the Cox Plate.&rdquo; - Louis Le Metayer</blockquote>
</div>
A reversal of distances between the two Derby majors would at the very least better suit horses&rsquo; development towards both targets; from 15 Victoria Derby winners to attempt the double in the G1 Australian Derby, only two -&nbsp;Hitotsu&nbsp;and&nbsp;Riff Rocket&nbsp;(American Pharaoh {USA}) - have managed it, and one -&nbsp;Ace High&nbsp;- has placed.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re training horses, it&rsquo;s important to build them up over distances as you go along,&rdquo; Le Metayer continued. &ldquo;So if you have a top 3-year-old that can win over 2000, 2100 metres, then you aren&rsquo;t going to overtax him, so then you can build him up to another big target later on in the season, like an Arc.
&ldquo;When Chris Waller spoke about the jump from 2400 metres to the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup, he said that 800 metres is an enormous gap for a horse&rsquo;s stamina. They're just not the same types of horses at all.&rdquo;
<div class="Quote">
<blockquote>&ldquo;Chris Waller ... said that 800 metres is an enormous gap for a horse&rsquo;s stamina.&rdquo; - Louis Le Metayer</blockquote>
</div>
Mick Price and Danny O&rsquo;Brien have long been proponents of shortening the Victoria Derby; as early as 2008, O&rsquo;Brien has called for a shorter race 12 months after his Derby runner&nbsp;Villain&nbsp;(Carnegie {Ire}) finished fourth and never won again. His argument remains that a shorter Derby would both take less out of colts and elevate their stud value, as opposed to being &ldquo;irrelevant&rdquo; for colts now, in his view.
Le Metayer cannot stress enough the positive impact that a shorter French Derby has had on European breeding; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s certainly a change that has had a huge impact on the French breeding and racing industry, and I think we need to do the same in Australia. We don't need to have Derby races over 2400 metres because we don't breed those types of horses, but we've got plenty of good races over 2000 metres.&rdquo;
In an economy that values the precocious horse and the swift return, shortening or staggering the Derby distances would be a step in the right direction towards making the market value the middle-distance horse bred at home. Two furlongs could be all the difference.
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Finding the gain: The shorter the Derby, the more commercial the appeal?

It&rsquo;s been an excellent 12 months at Astute Bloodstock, a year made possible thanks to the unwavering support of our loyal clients. Below is a snapshot of some key milestones from the 2024/2025 racing season, achieved through fewer than 20 yearly purchases spanning yearlings, mares, and horses in training. CHAIRMAN'S SALE SUCCESS One of this year's highlights was the Inglis Chairman&rsquo;s Sale, where five mares from our new consignment and previous purchases collectively&nbsp;grossed $8.8 million, averaging an impressive&nbsp;$1.7 million&nbsp;each.&nbsp; STRONG SALE RESULTS FOR CLIENTS Breeders who used our services for mare selection and matings had a fantastic result at the Easter Yearling Sale, as their yearlings averaged&nbsp;$630,000,&nbsp;which is&nbsp;$180,000&nbsp;above the sale average. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/6202f3338aa745188a1327bbeb8d166f.png" alt="" width="649" height="323" /> GRADUATES ON FIRE 
Our graduates have continued to shine on the track:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>ELIYASS&nbsp;won 3 stakes races in a row</li>
<li>His cousin&nbsp;ELAMAZ&nbsp;made a stakes-winning Australian debut</li>
<li>A LITTLE DEEP&nbsp;claimed a stakes victory at Moonee Valley</li>
<li>SHE&rsquo;S AN ARTIST, has made a big impression winning her first 2 starts by big margins and running second at stakes level at her 3rd start.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Recent stakes winners from previous mare purchases include:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>CAP FERRAT&nbsp;Winner of the Hong Kong Derby</li>
<li>AMELIA&rsquo;S JEWEL&nbsp;Notched her 10th stakes win</li>
<li>Her brother&nbsp;BOSUSTOW&nbsp;Dual winner of the Gold Coast Guineas and Magic Millions Guineas</li>
</ul>
 <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/788c76908e704107aa79df27b6c63eb0.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="293" /> CAP FERRAT wins the Hong Kong Derby OTHER HORSES TO FOLLOW 
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>CINEMATIC STAR&nbsp;In career-best form with 4 wins</li>
<li>CHERISH ME&nbsp;Group-class potential with some big targets this spring</li>
<li>GOOD BANTER&nbsp;already a Gr.3 winner, she is back in winning form to target&nbsp;the Gr.3 Premier Cup (Aug 24)</li>
<li>PURE SILK&nbsp;undefeated at trials, exciting filly on the rise</li>
<li>TWILIGHT ELEGANCE&nbsp;Emerging staying filly with 2 wins and 2 placings from 4 starts this prep</li>
</ul>
 ASTUTE TOUR de FRANCE Our Racing and Breeding Tour de France continues to earn raving reviews. The June 2025 edition was a wonderful success, and the extended 2026 edition is very popular. This is a unique experience, please register your interest. 
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1106343732" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.astutebloodstock.com/atripofalifetime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For more Information</a></div>
 RECONNAISSANCE IN FRANCE While in France this summer, I have been studying the top 100 horses in the country, combining form study and race replays with stable visits and on-the-ground inspections. This has given me a clear picture of the top 10 horses to focus on.&nbsp; I will be making a couple more trips this year and plan to be active at the horses in training sales in France and the UK.&nbsp; If you&rsquo;re in the market for a serious racehorse, make sure to register your interest early &mdash; our recent purchases ELIYASS and ELAMAZ were both fully subscribed within 2 days. 
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://form.jotform.com/252149577808873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register your Interest </a></div>
 OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY We have limited shares available in an outstanding filly by the up-and-coming stallion&nbsp;BRAVE SMASH. She was our top pick of the classic sales and has already showed a great demeanour in her training. She is the spitting image of her sire, a full sister to a good horse in Hong Kong and comes from a great farm. We feel that she will be ready to run this time next year at the latest. 
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.astutebloodstock.com/horse-available/11410/devils-harmony-x-brave-smash-23-filly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brave Smash x Devil's Harmony filly</a></div>
 NEW WEBSITE LIVE We&rsquo;ve just launched our brand-new website, showcasing our philosophy, services, people, and results. It is very straight to the point, and it reflects our brand and our commitment to quality and to the industry.&nbsp;&nbsp; GROWING THE TEAM Now entering a growth phase, we&rsquo;re expanding our team with a sales and marketing manager to meet increasing demand and continue our pursuit of Group 1 success. Stay tuned! We look forward to an exciting new racing season ahead, and we hope to celebrate some special moments with our friends and clients at the races and at the sales.

It's All Happening at Astute Bloodstock

When Australian investors buy tried horses out of Europe from Aga Khan Studs they know they are getting quality, but the good ones don&rsquo;t come cheap with Elamaz (IRE) sourced from their draft at the Arqana Arc Sale last year for &euro;480,000. 
Sent off a hot favourite for his Australian debut in the $200,000 Listed ATC WJ McKell Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Elamaz was taken forward by Josh Parr to lead.
It probably was not his ideal scenario, but the son of Gleneagles had class on his side as a Listed winner in France last year and he scrambled home to win by a head taking his overall record to an impressive five wins and three seconds from eight starts. <a href="https://x.com/SkyRacingAU/status/1938839547934089226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1938839547934089226%7Ctwgr%5E8b03370fedc5fa6a69be61eb96afab9ffd21a92d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breednet.com.au%2Fnews%2F40197%2Fanother-aussie-sw-sourced-from-aga-khan-studs-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ELAMAZ wins the W J McKell Cup </a>
"I am quite taken by him,'' Parr said.
"His demeanour was good, his action remarkable.
"The interesting part of it all is I wanted to be as kind as possible to him so he could get the 2000m first time on dry ground.
"Our plan wasn't to lead, we were looking for cover but cover wasn't going to eventuate so I pressed on to the front, trusted the stable and how well they had him, and he did the rest.
"There was a period down the side where he had no clue where he was leading the race at Rosehill, but he fought off every challenger. What a brilliant performance by him.&rdquo;
Elamaz was bought out of France by Louis Le Meteyer of Astute Bloodstock and he retains an interest along in the promising young stayer, who runs for a big group of stable clients including Aston Bloodstock in whose colours he runs.
Elamaz is the best of four winners from Group III winning Maria&rsquo;s Mon mare Emiyna, who comes from the family of elite Group I winning stayers Enzeli, Estimate and Ebadiyla.
The Waterhouse Bott stable have already had some luck with this family having enjoyed multiple stakes success with Eliyass (Fr).

Another Astute SW sourced fron the Aga Khan

Even the most cynical of onlookers would have been hard pressed not to crack a smile as the baldy-faced She&rsquo;s An Artist (Trapeze Artist) blazed a trail up the Flemington straight on Saturday, evoking shades of the much adored Apache Cat (Lion Cavern) in the process.&nbsp;
And the eight-time Group 1 winner isn&rsquo;t the only high-class sprinter that She&rsquo;s An Artist has earned comparisons with in the aftermath of Saturday&rsquo;s demolition job, such was the effortless manner in which she clocked the fastest last 600 metres, 400 metres and 200 metres splits of the entire meeting under nothing more than a hands and heels ride from Craig Williams.
Champion sprinter Nature Strip (Nicconi) created a similar impression when winning by 4.5 lengths at the very same meeting back in 2018, although he arrived at that contest with significantly more race experience than the lightly-raced and beautifully-bred She&rsquo;s An Artist,&nbsp;who is out of an unraced sister to Group 1 winner and&nbsp;elite-level producing stallion&nbsp;Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock).&nbsp;
Despite winning with consummate ease on debut a few weeks prior, even Astute Bloodstock&rsquo;s Louis Le Metayer, who purchased She&rsquo;s An Artist in conjunction with her trainer Ciaron Maher for $175,000 at the 2023 Inglis Premier&nbsp;Yearling&nbsp;Sale, could not have envisaged such a dominant display on just her second career start over the 1100 metres.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We were a bit gobsmacked, to be honest,&rdquo; Le Metayer told ANZ News. &ldquo;We were hoping she could win, but we didn&rsquo;t think she could put three and a half lengths on a field like that.
&ldquo;The way she won was really impressive and what&rsquo;s encouraging is that all the form experts have been talking about her very positively, thinking that she could be a top class sprinter.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s easy to see why the form gurus have been waxing lyrical about She&rsquo;s An Artist&rsquo;s latest triumph, with the previously unbeaten Fieldelo (Deep Field) and last-start Group 3 placegetter Bridal Waltz (Snitzel) filling the minor placings, albeit unable to lay a glove on the flashy chestnut.&nbsp;
The fifth placegetter, Superlicious (Written Tycoon), was another who brought stakes form into Saturday&rsquo;s contest, whilst the fourth home, Savagery Vibe (Brutal), was only 2.75 lengths behind the Yulong Stud-bound First Settler (Written Tycoon) in the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) earlier in the season.&nbsp;
Le Metayer could therefore be forgiven for getting a little ahead of himself, but his feet remain firmly on the ground when it comes to the future of his latest excitement machine, who will bid to maintain her unbeaten record in the Creswick Stakes (Listed, 1200m) back at Flemington on July 6 before more than likely heading for a brief freshen-up.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re absolutely thrilled, but we&rsquo;re just trying to keep the lid on it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re also realistic and mindful that so many things can go wrong with horses, but at the moment we&rsquo;re dreaming.
&ldquo;I think she could be very, very good. It wouldn&rsquo;t surprise me if she&rsquo;s the real deal, but they&rsquo;ve got to do it, haven&rsquo;t they? She&rsquo;s only won a maiden and a handicap race &ndash; it&rsquo;s a big difference once they start competing with the elite horses.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to look good when you&rsquo;re competing against a decent bunch of horses, but it&rsquo;s under pressure when you find out who the really top horses are.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t thought about a Group 1 race yet because I think it&rsquo;s a bit premature, and when you start spruiking horses they often let you down. It&rsquo;s better to set low expectations and be pleasantly surprised than to be spruiking and then disappointed.&rdquo;
With Craig Williams suspended for Saturday week&rsquo;s Flemington meeting, Jamie Melham will renew her association with She&rsquo;s An Artist in the Creswick Stakes (Listed, 1200m) having partnered her to a breathless maiden victory at Bendigo on debut.
Despite her unblemished race record thus far, it hasn&rsquo;t always been plain sailing for She&rsquo;s An Artist according to Le Metayer, with a few setbacks delaying her much-anticipated debut until late on in her three-year-old season.&nbsp;
Her owners, which include an all-ladies syndicate of 20 women, have therefore had to be patient, but are thankfully reaping the rewards as a result.&nbsp;
&ldquo;She was precocious, but she had a couple of injuries as a young horse and you&rsquo;ve always got to make sure that they have recovered sufficiently for when they come back under pressure,&rdquo; Le Metayer said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very hands on in the management of our horses and I&rsquo;m a big believer in patience. We&rsquo;re all about longevity and trying to manage beautiful long careers, and if you give young horses a bit of time to strengthen and grow then they generally pay you back, provided that they have the ability of course.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This filly is quite small, but she&rsquo;s extremely athletic and she just has the best action and temperament. She&rsquo;s so sweet, she&rsquo;s like a pony and she&rsquo;s a very cuddly sort of horse.
&ldquo;We often forget to promote the animal itself and the affection that people get from owning a horse. It was a great joy when some of the lady owners turned up to see her at Ballarat last year and she was in a box giving them kisses.&rdquo;
Such was Le Metayer&rsquo;s belief in She&rsquo;s An Artist, the leading bloodstock agent was more than happy to secure another daughter of Widden Stud stallion Trapeze Artist at this year&rsquo;s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale back in January.&nbsp;
Signing the docket for $300,000 alongside Francis and Christine Cook&rsquo;s Mystery Downs and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, the well-bred filly is out of Hummalong (Hallowed Crown) &ndash; a half-sister to stakes winning siblings Tycoon Humma (Capitalist) and Humma Humma (Denman), the latter of whom is the dam of this season&rsquo;s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) placegetter Price Tag (Zoustar).
The soon-to-be two-year-old filly is in the early stages of her education and has been sent into the same stable as her paternal sibling, with She&rsquo;s An Artist far from the only promising horse Le Metayer has in training with the Maher juggernaut.
Favourable mentions were also given to two-time winning British import Mr Monaco (Territories) and unraced juvenile Who I Think I Am (So You Think), who is expected to make her eagerly-awaited debut in the coming weeks. But it was another rising three-year-old filly whom Le Metayer is particularly excited about with a view to next season.&nbsp;
The horse in question, Cherish Me (Brazen Beau), beat home a quartet of subsequent winners when making light work of the Geelong Diamond (1100m) on debut, before things didn&rsquo;t quite go to plan for her as a well-fancied second favourite in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking forward to her,&rdquo; Le Metayer said. &ldquo;Pardon my French, but Jamie [Melham] said it was a s*** of a race in the Blue Diamond.&nbsp;
&ldquo;She was possibly over the top by then. She had been in work a long, long time, and it was a very hot day. I think she probably didn&rsquo;t show her true talent that day, but that&rsquo;s ok.
&ldquo;I think she&rsquo;ll make a phenomenal three-year-old and four-year-old, because she has a lot of scope and length and a beautiful big action. She&rsquo;s actually got a stayer&rsquo;s action, very loose, so I&rsquo;m sure she&rsquo;ll stay a mile.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to kick her off in a Saturday handicap race for three-year-olds or possibly the Atlantic Jewel [Stakes], but the idea is to try and have her third up for the Thousand Guineas in Melbourne.&rdquo;&nbsp;
While Cherish Me and She&rsquo;s An Artist were sourced from the yearling sales, Le Metayer has also enjoyed plenty of success importing tried horses from his native France, most notably with dual Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) hero Harlem (Champs Elysees) and this season&rsquo;s Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) placegetter Eliyass (Le Havre).&nbsp;
The removal of a knee chip means that a period on the sidelines beckons for the latter, who burst onto the Australian scene this time last year with a trio of stakes victories from his first three starts down under. Le Metayer, however, is hoping to unearth just the horse to fill that void at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, one who boasts a very similar profile and name to boot.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a really nice French miler who&rsquo;s going to run on Saturday called Elamaz with Gai and Adrian,&rdquo; he revealed. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a horse we bought at the Arc Sale last year. It&rsquo;s his first prep in Australia, so we don&rsquo;t have too high expectations, but he was a very good miler in France. He had seven races for four wins and three seconds at sort of Listed level, so we hope he could be a really nice horse for us.
&ldquo;We also another really nice import called Mr Monaco. He is a beautiful horse that we bought in England last year with Ciaron&nbsp;[Maher]&nbsp;and we have big hopes for him as well.&rdquo;
Le Metayer&rsquo;s association with the Maher stable has been a fruitful one, and not just on the racecourse. The pair have also teamed up to great effect in the sales ring, most recently with dual Group 2 winner Tiz Invincible (I Am Invincible), who sold for an eye-watering $2.8 million to Coolmore&rsquo;s Tom Magnier&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Ciaron Maher Racing draft at last month&rsquo;s Inglis Chairman&rsquo;s Sale.&nbsp;
That auction also saw the first foray into the consignment market for Le Metayer&rsquo;s Astute Bloodstock, who sold the Maher-trained Listed winner A Little Deep (Deep Field) for $800,000 and the well-related Last Girl Love (Snitzel) for $550,000. Having also purchased the dam of star mare Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel (Siyouni) on behalf of Peter Walsh&rsquo;s Amelia Park back in 2018, Le Metayer watched with a vested interest as the Group 1 winner lit up the Inglis auditorium and sold for a jaw-dropping $3.8 million under the Segenhoe Stud umbrella&nbsp;at the Inglis Chairman&rsquo;s Sale.&nbsp;
Off the back of such a positive start, it&rsquo;s unlikely to be the last time that Astute Bloodstock appears on the consignors&rsquo; list at the major Australasian broodmare sales.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The Chairman&rsquo;s Sale was a great day for us and it&rsquo;s definitely something we want to do more of,&rdquo; Le Metayer revealed.
&ldquo;We want to specialize in buying fillies and we&rsquo;re trying to give our clients a good experience through the whole process &ndash; from buying to managing to selling.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;re going to do more of, predominantly for our own clients and for our previous yearling purchases. Hopefully it can snowball from there.
&ldquo;We also build a lot of friendships along the way. When you have a good horse, it tends to bring people together.&rdquo;
Evidence of that sentiment is currently unfolding in France, where Le Metayer is leading a group of 14 Australian owners and breeders on a tour through the famous thoroughbred regions of Chantilly and Normandy.&nbsp;
The premium, four-and-a-half day experience is designed to showcase the very best of the French breeding and racing industries, featuring visits to the renowned Chantilly training centre and the Aga Khan&rsquo;s private racing stables, as well as introductions with leading French trainers like&nbsp;Francis&nbsp;Graffard, Nicolas Clement and Andre Fabre.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Every year I organise this tour with some clients, friends, owners and breeders, and it&rsquo;s always been the starting point of new relationships,&rdquo; Le Metayer said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This tour is what led us to buy the dam of Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel, because I showed Siyouni to Peter Walsh and he was so impressed that he said &lsquo;let&rsquo;s buy a mare to breed to him&rsquo;.
&ldquo;The idea is to have a fun experience and take some of our clients who are interested in learning a bit more about the industry globally. It&rsquo;s one of our points of difference. Gai Waterhouse said to me&nbsp;ten&nbsp;years ago &lsquo;you need to work on your point of difference, you&rsquo;re French, so use it&rsquo;. This concept is a product of that thinking.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m lucky to work in my passion and to be involved in the industry at a global level. We&rsquo;re quite boutique &ndash; small in numbers but hopefully big in results &ndash; and every now and then we get a couple of good horses, so it&rsquo;s good fun.&rdquo;
With a bit of luck, She&rsquo;s An Artist may well find herself in the Louvre by the time next year&rsquo;s tour comes around.

She's An Artist paints another pretty picture

It might be winter and all eyes may have been on Royal Ascot this week, but there was a winner at Flemington on Saturday that will have caught the eye of anyone with half an interest towards spring racing and emerging talent.
A flashy chestnut filly with a bit of the Apache Cat&rsquo;s about her She&rsquo;s an Artist was Breednet &lsquo;One to Watch&rsquo; when wining on debut at Bendigo last month and looked even better when bolting in at Flemington on Saturday.
Trained by Ciaron Maher, the three year-old Trapeze Artist filly was a class above with Craig Williams to ride, thrashing the short priced favourite Fieldelo to win the 1100m sprint by nearly four lengths. <a href="https://x.com/Racing/status/1936317324673306921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1936317324673306921%7Ctwgr%5E03f307c8f0592dfd25b2180065a32203cea03e49%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breednet.com.au%2Fnews%2F40064%2Fone-to-watch-wins-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">She's An Artist Flemington</a> Craig Williams knows all too well the difference between good horses and better ones and She&rsquo;s an Artist had him pretty excited.
&ldquo;She looked impressive on debut and I spoke to Ciaron about her and the owners gave me the opportunity to ride her,&rdquo; said Williams.
&ldquo;I was lucky enough to go down and partner her on Tuesday morning in a piece of work and loved what I felt, she has a serious motor.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s still learning what she's doing and it's only her second race start and first time down the straight. She was taking on a real good quality field and she just felt like everything that we hope she's going to be and how she's felt in the morning is there and the exciting part is she will only get better.&rdquo; <a href="https://x.com/Racing/status/1936317560703606819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1936317560703606819%7Ctwgr%5E03f307c8f0592dfd25b2180065a32203cea03e49%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breednet.com.au%2Fnews%2F40064%2Fone-to-watch-wins-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Craig Williams comments </a>A $175,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Astute Bloodstock Pty Ltd (FBAA) / Ciaron Maher Racing from the draft of Widden Stud, She&rsquo;s an Artist is a half-sister to stakes-winner Untamed and is the sixth winner from seven to race from well related Fastnet Rockmare She&rsquo;s a Wildcat.
Bred by the Vieira Group, she comes from a progressive Black Type family as She&rsquo;s a Wildcat is a sister to Group I winner Foxwedge, stakes-winner She&rsquo;s a Fox and to the dams of Group winners Bank Maur, Lilac and Namesake.
She&rsquo;s an Artist looks a bright prospect for Trapeze Artist, whose fee has been reduced to $33,000 at Widden Stud this spring.

One to Watch Wins Again

A flashy chestnut filly with a bit of the Apache Cat&rsquo;s about her was an eye-catching five length debut winner at Bendigo on Friday for the Ciaron Maher stable. 
Three year-old Trapeze Artist filly She&rsquo;s an Artist had obviously given notice of her talents in jump outs as she was sent to the post a raging hot favourite in the 1100m maiden with Jamie Melham to ride. <a href="https://x.com/Racing/status/1928309889668911509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1928309889668911509%7Ctwgr%5E7d702befcfa27cf5f73b51c8f9d4e42de6efe957%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breednet.com.au%2Fnews%2F39615%2Fone-to-watch-E28093-bendigo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Racing.com - She's An Artist debut</a> 
She blasted clear of her rivals to win as she pleased making the trip to Bendigo on a Friday worthwhile for Melham
&ldquo;She'll take a lot of experience and improve off this, but the feel she gave me in the trial, she felt like a five-year-old horse that's had 50 starts before, she was very professional,&rdquo; said Jamie Melham. 
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s very well educated and was push-button out there. She's a lovely horse, and she'll take a lot of benefit from that fitness-wise. She had a good blow pulling up, so I think she's a classy horse with a bright future.
&ldquo;I think you'll definitely see her back in the spring.&rdquo;
A $175,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Astute Bloodstock Pty Ltd (FBAA) / Ciaron Maher Racing from the draft of Widden Stud, She&rsquo;s an Artist is a half-sister to stakes-winner Untamed and is the sixth winner from seven to race from well related Fastnet Rockmare She&rsquo;s a Wildcat.
She comes from a progressive Black Type family as She&rsquo;s a Wildcat is a sister to Group I winner Foxwedge, stakes-winner She&rsquo;s a Fox and to the dams of Group winners Bank Maur, Lilac and Namesake.
She&rsquo;s an Artist looks a bright prospect for Trapeze Artist, whose fee has been reduced to $33,000 at Widden Stud this spring.

One to Watch – Bendigo

Astute Bloodstock has recorded a stellar result at the 2025 Inglis Chairman&rsquo;s Sale, with its draft and previously purchased mares grossing a combined&nbsp;$8.8 million,&nbsp;representing&nbsp;16%&nbsp;of the total sale turnover. Led by the sale of two of the top three lots &mdash; Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel ($3.8M) and Tiz Invincible ($2.8M) &mdash; the boutique agency once again demonstrated its ability to source elite horses at reasonable prices. The group of mares averaged $1.7 million, exceeding the overall sale average by more than $1 million. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve always operated with a boutique, quality-over-quantity philosophy, and these results reinforce the value of a highly selective approach,&rdquo; said Louis Le Metayer, founder of Astute Bloodstock. &ldquo;In bloodstock, as in any investment, you do well when you buy well.&rdquo; Sale Highlights: Tiz Invincible &ndash; $2.8M Purchased as a yearling for $550,000 in partnership with Ciaron Maher and Justin Bahen Yes Baby Yes &ndash; $875,000 Bought at the 2022 Chairman&rsquo;s Sale for $520,000 A Little Deep &ndash; $800,000 Purchased as a yearling for $250,000 Last Girl Love &ndash; $550,000 Bred by Katelanis Bloodstock and sold through the Astute consignment Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel &ndash; $3.8M Out of Bumbasina, a mare sourced off the track in the UK for 75,000gns. Her son, Bosustow, also won the Gold Coast Guineas today. Astute Bloodstock extends its sincere thanks to all clients and industry partners for their continued support. Special congratulations go to Peter Walsh, Astute&rsquo;s first-ever client and the breeder of Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel.

Astute Bloodstock Mares Gross $8.8 Million at Inglis Chairman’s

Superstar mare Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel (Siyouni), a G1 winner of over $4.1m in prizemoney, will join what is already a stellar cast for the Inglis Chairman&rsquo;s Sale to be held at Riverside Stables in Sydney on May 8.
The brilliant mare, owned and bred by West Australian racing identity Peter Walsh, is one of the most extraordinarily talented horses in Australasian racing over the past number of seasons, with her performances attracting a seemingly endless range of superlatives. 
An unbeaten, three-start 2YO season culminated with an effortless win in the prestigious G2 Karrakatta Plate, prompting then trainer Simon Miller to describe her as a &ldquo;Ferrari&rdquo;.
At just her seventh start, taking on older horses at weight for age in the early summer, Amelia's Jewel won the time honoured G1 Northerly Stakes over 1800m defeating 14 rivals including multiple G1 winner Cascadian.
Her incredible versatility was in evidence when, as an autumn 3YO, she was beaten less than 0.1 of a length in the $4m The Quokka by star sprinter Overpass, with champion Bella Nipotina in arrears, as well as the likes of Royal Ascot G1 winner Asfoora and Uncommon James.
Transferred to Melbourne for the spring of her 4YO season, she set a new course record for a mile at Moonee Valley when winning the G2 Stocks Stakes. <a href="https://x.com/Racing/status/1707709375467356473" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amelias Jewel wins the Stocks Stakes </a>
On that occasion, she beat both Pride Of Jenni and Deny Knowledge amongst others, with the former winning 3 G1s and earning the title of the world&rsquo;s highest-rated mare over the course of her next seven starts.
Further outstanding efforts followed, including a win in the G2 Guy Walter Stakes, as well as narrow defeats in both the G1 Empire Rose Stakes and again, the $4m The Quokka. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/a61d33158b4e467c8fcda514f48443cf.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="343" />
For Walsh, Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel has been the horse of a lifetime.
&ldquo;She means so much to us,'' Walsh said.
"It&rsquo;s not an easy decision to sell her but I&rsquo;ve got the mother at home so we&rsquo;ll keep breeding the family and racing the family. I&rsquo;m only selling her because of my age, I&rsquo;m almost 70 so somebody a bit younger can enjoy her for the rest of her time.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s perfectly sound and could easily race on if her buyer wants to do so, or she&rsquo;s going to make one hell of a broodmare when that phase of her life comes too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been lucky enough to have had some great horses but she&rsquo;s by far the best. She won so many good races, she raced basically in Group company her whole career, she did it against the best in the west and then over east and was unlucky not to have more big wins next to her name, that&rsquo;s for sure.
&ldquo;I think the best thing about her was her mental toughness and versatility. She could win from 1000m to 1800m, she could fly from the back or she could put herself in a race and be on speed and win. There was nothing she couldn&rsquo;t do.''
Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel will be consigned at the Chairman&rsquo;s Sale by Segenhoe Stud, which is managed by Walsh&rsquo;s long-time friend and confidant Peter O&rsquo;Brien.
&ldquo;Obviously her race record is there for all to see, but from the day that she was born here, Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel was a standout as a type,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Brien said.
&ldquo;As she has matured and developed, I think it is fair to say that she has blossomed into as good-looking a mare as you could ever wish to see.
&ldquo;I have no doubt that people are going to be blown away when they see her in the flesh.
&ldquo;Her dam, Bumbasina, lives with us and her early record as a producer is astounding, with her first foal being Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel and her next runner being Bosustow, who is a Stakes winner and G1 placed as a 2YO and 3YO, so she is in &lsquo;blue hen&rsquo; territory already.''
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch described it as an &ldquo;honour&rdquo; to be offering Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel at the Chairman&rsquo;s Sale.
&ldquo;I was lucky enough to meet Peter Walsh early on in my time at Coolmore, so have enjoyed following the career of Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel and know how much she means to both Peter and Annie,'' Hutch said.
&ldquo;Clearly she was freakishly talented and while her accomplishments are incredible, I think it&rsquo;s fair to say that her race record doesn&rsquo;t quite do justice to her fantastic ability.
&ldquo;Never did I imagine that we would get the chance to bring her to market, so it really is a truly special opportunity and I have no doubt that she will attract worldwide interest.''
Amelia&rsquo;s Jewel will be joined in the supplementary catalogue by an ever-growing list of high-class fillies and mares which will include, amongst others, dual G1 placed Tulsi (The Autumn Sun), proven Stakes producer Mousai (Fastnet Rock) and promising 2YO filly Strada Varenna (Street Boss).
The supplementary catalogue for the Chairman&rsquo;s Sale will remain open for entries until April 24.
To view the catalogue for the Chairman&rsquo;s Sale - which includes the likes of Bella Nipotina, I Am Me, Too Darn Lizzie, Tiz Invincible, Coco Sun, Royal Merchant, Estriella, Grinzinger Belle, Semana, Eagle Nest and many others

G1 Winner Amelia's Jewel Added to Inglis Chairman's

All three Easter yearlings sold from mares we privately purchased averaged an impressive $630K&mdash;that&rsquo;s $180K above the current sale average! Here&rsquo;s how our clients&rsquo; mares performed:&nbsp; So You Think x Merited filly (Silverdale)&nbsp; sold for $420K to Boomer Bloodstock Merited was purchased privately for $550K, and her first two yearlings have grossed $1.22M&nbsp; <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/a57d9b7dd8d8456c8b3f4f4b8cd5fc3b.png" alt="" width="223" height="175" /> Snitzel x Miss Leonidas filly (Cressfield) sold for $720K to B2B Bloodstock Miss Leonidas&rsquo;s first three yearlings have grossed $1.3M. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/2c1a225f4def486ea0e19ff2f1d2b846.png" alt="" width="248" height="175" /> Snitzel x C&rsquo;est Beau La Vie colt (Arrowfield) sold for $750K to Mulberry Racing C&rsquo;est Beau La Vie was purchased privately for $580K, and her first five yearlings have grossed $3.45M. CAP FERRAT, the $1.4m Snitzel colt sold to Coolmore at the 2022 Easter sales, is now a Gr.1 Hong Kong Derby winner and ran 2nd in the Gr.1 Moet and Chandon Spring Champion stakes. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/7493ba61b2fa495d89475fe4f8b90fc2.png" alt="" width="232" height="175" /> All three mares were sourced privately through Astute Bloodstock, delivering a significant return on investment. A huge thank you to our wonderful clients for your continued trust and support! 
<div style="text-align: left;">We&rsquo;ll be active at the following upcoming broodmare sales: &bull; The Chairman&rsquo;s Sale, 8 May &bull; Magic Millions Broodmare Sale, 27&ndash;29 May &bull; Tattersalls July Sale, 8&ndash;11 July &bull; Tattersalls December Mares Sale &bull; Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale 
<h3>If you&rsquo;re in the market for a quality mare, don&rsquo;t hesitate to get in touch. I&rsquo;d love to help you improve your chances of success.</h3>
</div>

Will Macdonald joins Astute

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