As selling kicked on over at Riverside on Wednesday, Sydney hosted its midweek meeting at a rain-soaked Canterbury Park. A few days of broad sunshine had done little to dry out proceedings, and the track was a testing Heavy 10 for its eight-race card.
The first event was for the 2-year-olds and it drew plenty of cheer from Widden Stud. It was fought out by a pair of Zoustar juveniles in the filly Zougotcha and the colt Zou Tiger.
At the jump, both horses were among the early speed, but it was Zou Tiger with a slight edge on the rails. He sat inside the race favourite, Sweet Baby Boom (Spirit Of Boom), with jockey James McDonald holding Zougotcha fourth with a bit of cover.
Into the straight, the ground found out much of the field, and Sweet Baby Boom fell away quickly. The Zoustar youngsters were left to fight it out, and at one point it looked like a contest.
However, Zougotcha skipped over the heavy going better and she drew away with McDonald by the 100 metres. She put several lengths between herself and Zou Tiger, and this pair spaced the rest of the field.
The final margins were 3.12l to second, with 8.47l to third-placed Sweet Baby Boom. The time for the 1200 metres was 1:17.32, the last 600 metres in 39.57s. It made the race about a furlong slower than the standing track record, a testament to the trying conditions.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
Had trial, will travel
The filly Zougotcha is raced by a consortium that includes some big names.
Noel and Maria Greenhalgh are among them, who’ve had ownership highs with the likes of Nature Strip (Nicconi) and Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). There’s also Francis and Christine Cook of Mystery Downs among them, along with Widden Stud.
Zougotcha as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
At Rosehill, Zougotcha is trained by Chris Waller, and Wednesday’s race was her debut appearance.
She’d been handy in a trial in late March running second, and Damien Fitton, Waller’s assistant racing manager and trackside representative at Canterbury, said their only concerns were her inexperience.
“She’s a lovely filly and we’ve always had a bit of time for her,” Fitton said. “The only query for us was the one trial heading into a Heavy 10, but she got a perfect ride by James (McDonald) and she was just too good in the end. It’s onwards and upwards from now on.”
“She’s (Zougotcha) a lovely filly and we’ve always had a bit of time for her. The only query for us was the one trial heading into a Heavy 10, but she got a perfect ride by James (McDonald) and she was just too good in the end.” - Damien Fitton
Fitton said they were taking their time with Zougotcha, who is nicely actioned but not a huge type.
“She’s been a lovely filly from day one and we’ve just taken our time, letting her tell us when she’s ready to head to the races,” he said. “She’s got a great mind on her and a great attitude, and it will take her a long way in her career.”
McDonald was equally as appraising.
“I hope my Saturday-class horses get through it (the ground) as well as she did,” the jockey said. “She’s very professional and well-educated. The one trial was probably the only query, but she obviously learned plenty from it because she executed that beautifully.”
James McDonald | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Zou stars
The Zoustar quinella couldn’t have come at a better time for Widden Stud. Out at Warwick Farm, on Day 2 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the Zoustar progeny were going gangbusters - including a $3 million colt stealing headlines.
Lot 329, a colt from the Onemorenomore mare One More Honey, sold from Emirates Park to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for an even million-dollars. It was a record-equalling price tag for a Hong Kong purchase.
Among other sales, a Zoustar filly from Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock) sold to Cambridge Stud for $950,000. She was for breeders Chris and Jane Barham, while a Newhaven Park colt from Vergara (Snippetson) was an early trendsetter, selling as Lot 5 for $900,000 to a consortium of China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing.
Gallery: Some of the Zoustar yearlings that were well-received at the Inglis Easter Sale, images courtesy of Inglis
A filly from Comprende (I Am Invincible), Lot 115, fetched the same price when selling from Widden’s draft to Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA).
“Zoustar is going fantastic this week,” said Antony Thompson, the principal of Widden Stud. “He was averaging $520,000 yesterday on Day One, and he’s got the loveliest line of horses you’ve ever seen. They’re selling even better today (Wednesday).
“He’s had a million-dollar colt and then the Solar Charged, so I’m sure by the end of the Sale when the stats are done, there’ll be some phenomenal numbers there.”
The numbers did prove phenomenal, in the end.
The Zoustar colt from Solar Charged (Charge Forward) was Lot 434, a full brother to both Sunlight and Sisstar. There was plenty of attention given to him in the twilight hour of the Easter Sale, and he sold accordingly. He went to Coolmore for a staggering $3 million.
Crystal clear
Zougotcha was an Easter graduate this time last year, selling from Widden’s draft for $500,000 to Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock.
The filly is a daughter of the Fastnet Rock mare Fast Talker, who was a three-time winner and stakes-placed in the Listed Queen Adelaide S.
The stakes winner Persuader, a full sister to Zougotcha
Zougotcha is a full sister to the stakes winner Persuader (Zoustar), and a half-sister to the Sebring Listed winner The Actuary. More significantly, however, this is the family of the G1 Golden Slipper-winning, Champion 2-Year-Old filly Crystal Lily (Stratum).
At Riverside, despite being knee-deep in horse trading on Wednesday, Thompson watched the Zoustar quinella at Canterbury with plenty of private thrill.
“It was a nice little part of the day, with everything else that was going on,” the studmaster said. “They were two really nice horses on debut that their trainers and connections think highly of, and, obviously, being involved in the breeding of both of them, it was a lovely thing.”
“They (Zougotcha and Zou Tiger) were two really nice horses on debut that their trainers and connections think highly of, and, obviously, being involved in the breeding of both of them, it was a lovely thing.” - Antony Thompson
Thompson co-bred Zougotcha alongside his great friend, Robert Anderson. As they prepared the filly for the Easter Sale last year, Thompson was keen to go back into her, and he said as such to Anderson.
“I said to Robert, who bred her with me, that we should get back in and stay involved,” Thompson said. “Robert loves his racing so he was keen, and I was happy to go along. We don’t have much of a share but we’ve got an interest in her, which is great fun, and they’re a nice group of owners.”
Thompson remembers Zougotcha as a classy yearling.
Antony Thompson | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She had a lot of quality, as many of the Zoustars do,” he said. “She was a good-moving filly, and she was one of those Zoustars that was much admired.
“At the Sale at the time, I thought she was going to make anything from $500,000 to $800,000, and I think Guy Mulcaster had rated her highly. He’s a great judge, and it was good value for him at that Sale. When a horse goes to someone like Guy and a great trainer like Chris Waller, it’s a great thrill and good to be back in.”
Zougotcha races in the same silks as the Group 2-winning, Group 1-placed Madam Rouge, another of Zoustar’s fillies.
Madam Rouge | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Madam Rouge was bred at Widden in 2015 and sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale two years later for $310,000. She went to the same Mulcaster/Waller partnership as Zougotcha.
“We had success with Chris Waller and Zoustar before, being involved in Madam Rouge with him,” Thompson said. “That was a great experience, and some of the same guys went back in to this filly, and she races in the same colours.”
