Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
On Saturday, Peter Snowden's Drifting (Zousain) resumed in the G3 Quezette S. at Caulfield, showcasing her class against a competitive field of fillies.
The daughter of Widden Stud’s second-season sire Zousain was a standout performer as a juvenile, winning the G3 Magic Night S. and placing in the Listed Furphy Trophy.
Her trainer Snowden indicated there were plenty of options for the filly, who has shown to be versatile handling both Sydney and Melbourne ways of going, “That’s exactly what I wanted to see. She’s talented - her first preparation saw her go from a maiden win at Hawkesbury to the Magic Night, and I could have run her in the Golden Slipper,” he told 7Horseracing.
“I just like her attitude. She’s got fantastic gate speed, will settle underneath you at the pace you want, and gives a good kick. Those are great attributes to have, and 1200 metres won’t be an issue.
“There are plenty of races for her, and I’ll be very selective about where I run her. She’s building up nicely now, and I own a fair chunk of her. There are races in both Sydney and Melbourne, and she handles wet or dry conditions.”
“There are plenty of races for her (Drifting), and I’ll be very selective about where I run her. She’s building up nicely now, and I own a fair chunk of her. There are races in both Sydney and Melbourne, and she handles wet or dry conditions.” - Peter Snowden
Following the filly's success, The Thoroughbred Report spoke with key figures in her story: Tim Nolan of Murrulla Stud, who presented the filly at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, and William Johnson of William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA), who co-purchased the filly alongside Snowden Racing.
Astute buying
Bred by Andrew Baddock under his Baddock Bloodstock banner, Drifting is the fourth foal from the Big Brown (USA) mare Backpacker Express. The mare was purchased for $1000 by Baddock Bloodstock from the 2020 Magic Millions May Online Sale and was later resold at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale to Murrulla Stud for $20,000.
Tim Nolan explained how Drifting ended up in Murrulla Stud’s Inglis Classic draft: “A good friend of ours, Andrew Baddock, bred her. We bought the mother (Backpacker Express) in May at the Gold Coast Sale. Drifting was initially going to be sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale, but she was scratched. Andrew said since I bought the mother, we could sell the filly. She was always a beautiful filly and made $160,000 as a first-season foal by Zousain.”
Tim Nolan
Nolan still has Backpacker Express in his care and offered her full sister at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, but she was passed in.
“We tried to sell a full sister to Drifting at the March sale, but she was passed in. So, she’s now broken in and available for sale, but we might lease her and race her with someone. Backpacker Express then had a Heroic Valour yearling filly and is in foal to Profiteer, due to foal next month.”
When asked if the mare would return to Zousain after producing a hit, Nolan said, “It probably makes sense, doesn’t it? I haven’t got a booking yet, and they say he’s full, so I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get in.”
Drifting catches Johnson’s eye
Successful bloodstock agent William Johnson, who operates William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA), has enjoyed considerable success with Snowden Racing, having helped source the dual Group 1 winner Huetor (Fr) (Archipenko {USA}) and the progressive Unspoken (Ire) (Territories {Ire}). Back at the Riverside Stables sale ground, Johnson was busy inspecting every horse at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Drifting as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
One horse that particularly caught his eye was a chestnut yearling filly by Zousain. Johnson recalled, “I was selecting yearlings for Peter and Paul Snowden in 2022/23, which involved looking at every horse. Peter would then come along to review the shortlist.
“Among the shortlisted horses was this lovely Zousain filly. She had the perfect shape, a beautiful filly, and was a very easy mover. I wasn’t overly familiar with her pedigree at the time, though I knew her broodmare sire, Big Brown, had won the Kentucky Derby and was the broodmare sire of Roots in Australia.
“Among the shortlisted horses was this lovely Zousain filly (Drifting). She had the perfect shape, a beautiful filly, and was a very easy mover.” - William Johnson
“Two months after the Inglis Classic Sale, Big Brown became the broodmare sire of the Kentucky Derby winner Mage. Fast forward, and Mage’s full brother, Dornoch, won the G1 Belmont S. and the G1 Haskell Invitational S. this year.
“But all of that came later. My initial interest was based more on the filly's physical attributes. We also had to pay a lot of respect to Andrew Baddock as a breeder. He knows his pedigrees inside and out and puts together extensive mating plans from his time at Gooree.”
William Johnson | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Zousain factor
Zousain, a winner of the G2 Champagne Classic and placed in the G1 Coolmore Stud S., stands alongside his sire, Zoustar, at Widden Stud. He has made a promising start to his stud career, producing 13 individual winners of 17 races, including four stakes performers.
Zousain will stand for $27,500 inc GST in 2024 | Standing at Widden Stud
In addition to Drifting, Zousain’s stakes performers include Zouna, who finished second in the G2 Sires’ Produce S.; Chateau Miraval, who placed third in the G3 Magic Night S. and fourth in the G2 Sweet Embrace S.; and The Dabble Effect, who was placed in the G3 David Coles AM S. Mister Bianco has won twice, and Catch The Glory became a new winner for Zousain on Saturday, scoring on debut at Kembla Grange.
“Drifting comes from a fast family, and Zousain was a very fast horse," Johnson noted. "Arguably, Zousain is Zoustar’s best-looking son at stud. He stands at Widden Stud, and I’m sure he’ll become even more popular following the successes of Chateau Miraval and Drifting."
Drifting kicked clear in the G3 Quezette S. at Caulfield on Saturday | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We were really impressed with Zousain’s yearlings at the Gold Coast and made a few attempts to secure one but came up short. The desire to acquire a Zousain was still strong when we arrived at the Inglis Classic Sale. We were fortunate to secure Drifting for $160,000, and she now races in Edwina Throsby’s colours. Edwina invests a lot in the industry and loves her horses, so it’s fantastic to have another good horse I purchased for her, alongside Unspoken.”
Johnson’s buying record includes top-class horses such as Group 1 winner Overpass (Vancouver), G1 VRC Derby victor Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}), Group 2 winner Old Flame (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and Coco Jamboo (Ire) (Massaat {Ire}), a Group 3 winner.
Looking ahead, Johnson shared his excitement over Drifting and buying for new clients: “I’m now buying for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald. I’m very excited about the future and hopeful that there’s more success in store.”
