Last week’s Forbes Cup winner Granite Bluff is by Marechal, a Danzero sire who provides mare owners with the opportunity to use a well bred quality sprinter at a very modest cost. He is standing this year by arrangement with Rick Worthington on a fee of only $2,200 including GST at Louise Ellis’s emerging Argyle Thoroughbreds stud at Panuara near Orange in central western New South Wales.

Despite the fact that he has had restricted opportunity since he retired to stud in 2001, Marechal has shown consistently that he can provide progeny who can race well. One of his first performers was the high class Melbourne sprinter Grand Duels, a winner of ten races, including four Listed stakes, third in the VRC Newmarket and third and fourth in appearances in the VRC Lightning.

Trained and raced by the Clarke family at Braidwood, three others are the brother and sisters Granite Bluff (eight wins, including the Forbes Cup, Orange Gold Cup, Eden Cup, placed Cowra Cup, Queanbeyan Cup, Gundagai Cup), Chief’s Trophy (won Canberra,Queanbeyan) and Chalmare (two starts, won Sapphire Coast).

Also by Marechal are Klish Klash (six wins, including Wyong, Newcastle), Girls Go Racing (five wins, one at Canterbury), Pagan County (five wins, one each at Doomben and Eagle Farm), Erispni (five wins, one at Eagle Farm), Princess Ally Mae (won Adelaide), Waterfront Drama (12 wins, placed Sydney), Koolkanna Road (11 wins, Port Lincoln, Darwin, etc), Disrepute (nine wins, placed Randwick) and Enlisted (five wins Singapore).

Marechal, himself, was a very smart horse whose full capabilities were not revealed as he was restricted to only six starts, all of which produced prize money in Sydney. He won a1100m event by three lengths at Warwick Farm at two and the $126,000 Heritage Stakes by 2.3 lengths at Rosehill Gardens at three, finished second in the Roman Consul Stakes-Gr.3, fourth in the Stan Fox Stakes-Gr.2 and fifth in the Up and Coming Stakes-Gr.2 and San Domenico Stakes-Gr.2.

Inbred 4x4 to Star Kingdom, Marechal has a quality pedigree, being got by the first Danehill Golden Slipper winner, Danzero, from France bred Gourette. She was by the fast Brigadier Gerard product R.B. Chesne from Igraine, a mare by Round Table and out of the Group1 winning Star Kingdom filly Reveille.

Used at stud in America, Reveille is grandam of Believe It, a Group1 winner, Kentucky Derby third and sire of Group1 winners.

Marechal is standing at Argyle with the powerfully bred American Mosayter, a sire bred on the same cross and from the same family as Coolmore visitor Tale of the Cat. They are both by Storm Cat and from Mr. Prospector mares.

Mosayter (fee $4,400) became the stud’s foundation sire when he was transferred from Western Australia last year. He is a proven sire of Perth winners, including stakes placed Shajezar, from limited opportunity in that State.