Newgate Stud boss Henry Field has hailed Extreme Choice “a phenomenon” and raised the prospect of the superstar stallion covering more northern hemisphere mares by stating that “every major international organisation” has the statistical freak on their radar. Extreme Choice is widely regarded as one of the best stallions in Australia – not because he punches in big numbers of winners, because he is extremely efficient at producing high-class runners from his small crops. It is well-documented that Extreme Choice suffers from fertility issues. However, that hasn't stopped him becoming pound-for-pound one of the hottest properties on planet earth, with Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and Melbourne Cup hero Knight's Choice featuring among his roll of honour.“He's just a phenomenon,” Field told TDN Europe. “Extreme Choice has the highest Group 1 winners to runners ratio of any stallion on the planet. What's even more amazing about him is that, of his six Group 1 winners so far, it's been split down the line between colts and fillies from trips ranging from six furlongs to two miles. He's the only Australian stallion in history who has sired a Golden Slipper winner along with a Melbourne Cup winner. One in 25 of his runners have ended up being Group 1 winners and, even more extraordinary is the fact that one in every 14 of his colts that hit the track ended up being commercial Australian stallions. It's fair to say that we've never seen a stallion like him in Australia and it will be a long, long time before we ever see one as good.”He added, “For a stallion to produce Golden Slipper winners, Classic winners and Melbourne Cup winners, it's extraordinary. He's a horse with a great pedigree himself, being by Not A Single Doubt, who was a phenomenal stallion and a very, very well-bred stallion. His genetics are probably a major reason behind the versatility he is producing. But he was a very classy racehorse – a dominant winner of the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, he was also a weight-for-age Group 1 sprinting star as a three-year-old.”Field was speaking ahead of the Australian Easter Yearling Sale at Inglis, where Extreme Choice has 10 yearlings catalogued. All bar one of those yearlings in the sale which kicks off on Sunday will be offered by Field's Newgate Farm, where Extreme Choice is expertly managed.Field said, “It's well-understood that he only breeds one mare a day. His fertility is actually quite good when we only breed him to one mare per day. I think we manage his fertility very well but his foal crop is only around the 40 to 45 mark every year. But his first two two-year-old winners – Paradoxium and Hidrix – so far this year have been Group winners. What's very interesting is that the quality of the mares he is being sent is just getting better and better. For example, every yearling at the Easter Yearling Sale is out of a stakes performer if not a stakes producer, so he's really an extraordinary stallion and we feel honoured to be standing him at Newgate.”He added, “We've spent countless hours trying to figure out the best way to manage him and what we've worked out is, in order to get his highest percentage, breeding him once per day seems to work best. His fertility rate when breeding him once a day, and obviously managing those mares with precision, gives him quite a reasonable strike-rate of getting a mare in foal. But obviously, the limiting factor of breeding only one mare per day means that he can only cover a certain number of mares in a breeding season.”The rarity factor is built into Extreme Choice standing for A$330,000 and Field believes that the stallion's Group 1 winners-to-runners percentage should prompt every major breeding operation in the world to take note of the Newgate resident.Field concluded, “It's interesting, he breeds a small number of northern hemisphere mares as it is, but there is a possibility that that could increase in the future. Certainly, we're open to exploring all of those options given he is such a valuable asset. With the versatility that he has, there would be reason to think he would work in any country because his progeny seem to handle any kind of ground and any distance. He's just got a phenomenal change-up speed and turn of foot so I don't think it matters what country his progeny would race in. He would be equally as extraordinary. I think the number of northern hemisphere mares being booked into him is going to build. Certainly, he's a horse who is on the radar with every major international organisation given his extraordinary statistics.”The post Newgate Opens Door For Extreme Choice To Cover More Northern Hemisphere Mares appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.