Sidestep, the sire of G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Kiamichi, will remain at Telemon Thoroughbreds in Queensland for the 2019 breeding season under an existing arrangement with Darley.
The son of Exceed And Excel will stand at a fee of $22,000 inc. GST in 2019 and be eligible for QTIS.
Alastair Pulford, Head of Sales at Darley stallions said of the win of Kiamichi, “we are obviously delighted with the result and we are thrilled not only for ourselves but for Dan Fletcher and Joe Heather at Telemon who gave the horse the opportunity in Queensland.
“Sidestep has jumped right in with not only a Group 1 winner, but a Golden Slipper winner in his first crop. He is on everyone’s radar.”
“He has had the three winners to date, all of whom have been impressive. That gives us confidence that he can certainly throw a very good one and hopefully he will follow with others.
Sidestep stood the 2018 season at the recently re-established Telemon where the farm’s owner Dan Fletcher said he had proved a resounding success.
“The horse himself has gone to another level. It is great to see the success of the horse and what he has done.” Fletcher said.
“We’re optimistic about the quality of mares he will attract this season and his recent results give a real boost to the Queensland breeding industry.”
Similarly, Darley welcome the breeding season with great optimism.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to have one of the most exciting young stallions in the country positioned to work with a Queensland mare population renowned for producing great two-year-old results.
“We’ve seen what other sires have been able to do in Queensland and to now have Sidestep working with those mares means he is exceptionally well positioned for the long term.”
The boost given to Sidestep’s profile by Kiamichi’s victory seems only appropriate for a horse with his record.
The Champion two-year-old of the 2012-13 Australian season, Sidestep had a similar lead up to his Golden Slipper as that of Kiamichi who went into the race off a win seven days earlier.
In 2013, Sidestep lined up to win the G2 Pago Pago Stakes, seven days before running second in the Golden Slipper to Overreach.
Both Sidestep and Overreach are by Darley’s prolific producer of juvenile Stakes winners, Exceed And Excel.
Sidestep’s dam, the G2 winner Dextrous (Quest For Fame), produced seven foals to race, all of which have won, among them the G1 winner Skilled and the G2 winner Ambidexter, both sons of Commands and both raced by Sheikh Mohammed.
