Champers Elysees completed her amazing transformation in 2020 with victory in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown last weekend.
Undefeated for Johnny Murtagh this year, the three-year-old has reeled off four consecutive wins starting with a handicap at The Curragh, a Listed win at Galway, a Gr3 race at Gowran Park and then her first win at the highest level last Saturday.
In winning she becomes the first Group 1 winner for the Australian-bred Elzaam, a son of Redoute’s Choice which stands at Joe Foley’s Ballyhane Stud in Ireland.
Bred by Kia Ora Stud, Elzaam was foaled in Australia to Northern Hemisphere time so was sent to Europe where he sold to Shadwell Estate for €280,000 at the 2009 Arqana Yearling Sale.
Commencing his career with Michael Jarvis at Newmarket he won on debut before being transferred to Roger Varian where he won the Carnarvon Stakes at Listed level by six lengths over six furlongs at Newbury and was Group placed at two in the Coventry Stakes and July Stakes.
Elzaam finished fourth behind Society Rock in the Gr1 Golden Jubilee Stakes beaten two lengths and his final two starts resulted in fifth behind Dream Ahead in the Gr1 Haydock Sprint Cup and fourth, beaten less than two lengths behind Royal Rock, in the Gr3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot on his last racecourse appearance.
Two wins from 10 starts and Group placed showed him to be talented, if a little below the top-class.
A brother to Australian Gr2 winner Ravi, Elzaam is out of the winning Kingmambo mare Mambo In Freeport, a half-sister to Gr1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes winner Point Ashley and Redoute’s Choice also got Gr1 Thousand Guineas winner Gallica out of a Kingmambo mare and from his shuttle seasons in France got Gr3 Prix Chloe winner bred on the same cross.
Redoute’s Choice’s Gr1 winning son Nadeem has Gr2 winner Happy Galaxy out of a mare by King’s Best (Kingmambo).
From one season in Australia in 2013 Elzaam left 21 live foals without a stakes performer from 11 winners however, his figures in Europe are considerably better.
Elzaam currently has 10 stakes performers from from 194 runners, headed by stakes winners Champers Elysees, Waitingfortheday, Playa del Puente and Clem Fandango.
With Champers Elysees he becomes the 12th son of Redoute’s Choice to sire a Group 1 winner following the likes of Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt and Stratum and currently there have been 28 sons of Redoute’s Choice sire stakes winners.
The 12yo was advertised at €4,000 in 2020 and following his early success he has bigger crops to begin racing for him so it is reasonable to assume his record can only get better.