Castelvecchio joins Arrowfield stallions

Dual Group One winner Castelvecchio (r) has been retired and will stand at Arrowfield this year.

Dual Group One winner Castelvecchio will not race as a four-year-old with Arrowfield announcing he will join the stallion roster later this year.

Arrowfield boss John Messara says the decision to retire Castelvecchio has been made because of the impact of coronavirus on the stud’s plans for the upcoming season.

He and his partners bought into Castelvecchio with a view to racing him for another season before retiring him to stand alongside his sire Dundeel.

“Castelvecchio is a horse we simply had to have after his amazing juvenile season and his world-class second to Lys Gracieux in the Cox Plate,” Messara said.

“He confirmed our assessment of him with his Rosehill Guineas win and we were very much looking forward to his spring four-year-old campaign.

“However, due to the current economic upheaval caused by COVID-19, we have mutually agreed with Shadai Stallion Station to rest our Japanese shuttle stallions in 2020.

“This decision and Not A Single Doubt’s retirement present a breeding opportunity for Castelvecchio that we simply can’t ignore.”

Trained by Richard Litt, Castelvecchio won the Group One Champagne Stakes at two and ran second in the Cox Plate as a spring three-year-old, adding the Rosehill Guineas to his resume in March.

The stud said as a Group One winner free of Danehill blood, Castelvecchio would serve a large number of Danehill-line mares at Arrowfield.

Champion sire Snitzel will stand for $165,000, down from $220,000 while Written Tycoon will join Arrowfield at $77,000 in an alliance with Victoria’s Woodside Park.

Snitzel recently celebrated both his 28th million-dollar yearling and his 100th individual stakes winner, putting him back on top of the general sires’ title.

ARROWFIELD STALLION ROSTER (inc GST):

(2019 in brackets)

SNITZEL: $165,000 ($220,000)

WRITTEN TYCOON: $77,000 (110,000)

DUNDEEL: $66,000 (unchanged)

THE AUTUMN SUN: $66,000 ($77,000)

CASTELVECCHIO: $33,000 (new)

SHALAA: $33,000 ($33,000)

PARIAH: $16,500 ($22,0000

SHOWTIME: $11,000 (unchanged)