Widden Stud are excited to add a son of outstanding sire Not a Single Doubt to their stallion roster for 2021 with explosive sprinter Anders being officially retired from racing this week.
“Now pensioned from stud duties, Not a Single Doubt has been a magnificent stallion for a long period, rising from a fee of just $13,750 as a modest Listed winner on the track, to being one of the best stallions in the country and we believe Anders has the right attributes to follow in his footsteps,” said Antony Thompson.
Prepared throughout his career by co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Anders shot to fame with a brilliant series of four consecutive wins last year that culminated with commanding victories in the Listed ATC Rosebud (1100m) and Group III ATC San Domenico Stakes (1100m).
During his racing career, he enjoyed the high praise of all who worked with him.
At Rosehill in the Rosebud, Anders demonstrated his raw speed and brute strength to lead all the way, defeating subsequent dual Group I winner Ole Kirk by four and three-quarter lengths.
“He was very impressive,” said jockey Jason Collett. "He’s a beautiful animal - the shoulder, the neck on him, he’s a proper horse! I knew he was serious when I trialled him as an early two-year-old and he won by about eight or nine lengths!"
Annabel Neasham, stable foreperson at the time of Anders’ Rosebud win, raved “He’s ELECTRIC! He’s a proper colt for sure, they’ll have a lot of fun with him. The field were running along at a good speed, but he’s fast and he just seemed to put it all together. He always worked like one of the best and we knew he had an awful lot of ability.”
Her sentiments were echoed by David Eustace: “We had a really big opinion of him. He was fast out of the gates, he’s got a really high cruising speed and he can quicken off that. There’s no need to stretch him out. Everyone wants speed and we genuinely think he is of Group I ability.”
Sent back to Rosehill for the San Domenico three weeks after his impressive win, Anders relished a good 4 surface, showing his natural brilliance and versatility to defeat subsequent multiple Group II winner Peltzer by three and a quarter lengths.
Anders carved out the 1100m dash in a blistering 1:02.67 seconds, setting a race record and narrowly missing the track record set back in 2007.
Upon returning to scale, jockey James McDonald said: “He has such a powerful action and loves using himself. He is a VERY quick horse!”
Post-race, Ciaron Maher rated Anders as a Group I prospect from the very beginning: “He could possibly be our best. We’ve always had a very high opinion of him. What he showed us at home, he was very exciting, and I thought he could be our Magic Millions horse. Few could run the sectionals he could and be strong on the line. It gets you going a bit - he couldn't be more impressive, could he?!"
Following on from these impressive wins, Anders was short-priced favourite for the Group I Moir at Moonee Valley before an untimely illness derailed his spring, leaving him out of action for his date with destiny and subsequently resulting in his retirement.
Bred by Arrowfield Stud, Anders is a stunning individual that made $670,000 at Magic Millions to be the highest priced colt by his sire sold at the Gold Coast in 2019.
His dam Madame Andree was unraced, however Paul Messara recalled: “She was a horse that seemed to have unlimited ability. I had her at the same time as I was training (three-time Group 1 winner) Ortensia, and I thought she was going to be an absolute star. She did a couple of pieces of work with Ortensia, and she was an absolute freak of a thing. Anders was outstanding, an absolutely beautiful type and outstanding in the yearling sales ring. He was such a lovely yearling and a standout individual.” – TDN AusNZ 11.08.2020
Anders has a diverse female pedigree with his first two dams sired by Kentucky Derby winners War Emblem and Sunday Silence, making him an appealling partner on pedigree for a wide range of mares.
When asked to comment on Anders’ retirement to the Hunter Valley, both Ciaron Maher and David Eustace recalled his racing ability and speed, and they enthused about the prospect of purchasing his progeny in the future.
“Australian racing is all about speed, strength and temperament, Anders had this in spades,” proclaimed Ciaron Maher.
“He was a naturally talented racehorse and we saw glimpses of his speed and ability in the Listed Rosebud and Group III San Domenico. Undoubtedly, he is the fastest racehorse I have ever trained.”
David Eustace agreed, “Anders was an incredibly natural athlete with undeniable untapped ability. A crying shame we did not get to see more of him on the racetrack.”
Anders will stand at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley at a fee of $16,500. A limited number of lifetime breeding rights will be available.
