Zoustar gets comfortable lead on Sires’ table
With the Group 1 win of Joliestar and the Listed win of Zaszou at Eagle Farm on Saturday, Zoustar has increased his lead on the Australian Champion Sire Premiership to more than $1.5 million over Pride Of Dubai. Zoustar also sired a double at Randwick with Bengal and Thunderlips.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
G3 Hyperion Stakes conquered by Western Empire
It was an 11th career victory for Grant and Alana Williams’ stable stalwart Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the G3 Hyperion Stakes at Pinjarra on Saturday. The 7-year-old gelding took his earnings over the $3 million mark with victory by a long neck over ante-poste favourite Magnificent Andy (Magnus).
“We love this horse,” said Grant Williams. “He had two bad runs over 1200 metres, and all the experts wrote him off after that. But at the end of the day, there’s only a couple of Group 1 winners in this race, which means they’re quality, which he is.”
The winner of the G1 Railway Stakes and the G2 WATC Derby in 2021, Western Empire is the second stakeswinner for G2 Perth Cup winner Western Jewel (Jeune {GB}), who is also the dam of Listed Bunbury Stakes winner Western Temple (Dream Ahead {USA}).
Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes won by Zaszou
Delayed from last weekend after the rain, the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes on Saturday was won by Phillip Stokes-trained 4-year-old mare Zaszou (Zoustar) with her sire enjoying a double at Eagle Farm. She won by a nose from Tashi (Sebring) with Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi) in third.
“It's always good to get a winner at this carnival. Nothing went right for this horse, she stepped slowly so we had to go to Plan b. I didn't really want to be on the inside, but they fanned out a fair bit. I thought where we were probably wasn't that bad, and she was so tenacious. She was entitled to run third or fourth but she maintained her run of foot. She's had a fair gap between runs so she will improve,” said winning jockey Ethan Brown.
Purchased by Bennett Racing for $200,000 from Kitchwin Hills Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, Zaszou has won five of her 14 starts and over $260,000. In winning her first stakes race, she becomes stakes winner number 69 for Zoustar. She is the second foal of Zabeel (NZ) mare Zasorceress (NZ) who was Group 3-placed.
Treasurethe Moment to resume in Memsie
Trainer Matt Laurie has announced that his star filly Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) will resume in the G1 Memsie Stakes on September 2. “She’s been trotting on the treadmill on the incline. She’s ready to have a saddle put on her and begin cantering work,” Laurie told racing.com.
Matt Laurie | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“(After the Memsie) she will run in the Makybe Diva Stakes and the Turnbull Stakes. Then we will decide whether she will run in the Caulfield Cup or the Cox Plate.”
Stradbroke fingers crossed for Transatlantic
Trainer Tony Gollan hopes winning the Listed Spear Chief Handicap on Saturday is enough to get Transatlantic (Snitzel) into the G1 Stradbroke Handicap next weekend. “I'm not sure if it will get him into the Stradbroke, it's now up to the handicapper to determine what they want to do with his rating. I've always had the Stradbroke in the back of my mind, this was a low percentage play to try to get him into the race. But I wanted to see him back winning,” Gollan said.
“The other day, I thought he was wanting to get out to this sort of trip, and he travelled like the winner a long way from home. Ryan put him into a good position, and we made a subtle gear change with the winkers going on, which had him focused a touch better. We'll see how it plays out with the attrition rate, but if everything marries up we'll be back here next week (for the Stradbroke).”
The 4-year-old gelding has won six of his 16 starts and over $600,000, and this was his first black type win. He’s a son of Group 1 winner Gust Of Wind (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) whose two other runners are also winners. She has a Stay Inside rising 2-year-old colt and a Dundeel (NZ) filly weanling. Gollan, along with Harbour Equine and John Foote Bloodstock, purchased Transatlantic for $360,000 from Segenhoe Stud’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale draft.
Listed Lightning won by Vodka Martini
Trainer Kelly Schweida’s 5-year-old gelding Vodka Martini (Agitate) only snuck into the field for the Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm off the ballot, but no one told the horse who won by 0.12l from Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Austmarr (Exosphere) with the winner’s stablemate Metalart (Better Than Ready) in third.
“I said to the owners before the race that if we could finish in the top four, I'd be happy. He hadn't run for 10 months, so he's done a really good job. I'm really pleased for the owners and for Cejay (Graham), I'm sure she'll be over the moon,” Schweida said.
He is the first stakes winner for Agitate, a son of Sequalo who has just 15 runners and nine winners. Vodka Martini has won eight of his 15 starts and over $440,000. His dam Semisyn (Semipalatinsk {USA}) has produced three other winners and is a winning half-sister to stakes placed Magical Talent (Show A Heart).
Listed Bob Charley Stakes won by In Flight
Bob Charley was at Randwick to watch the race named in his honour and it was Joe Pride-trained 4-year-old mare In Flight (Flying Artie) who won for jockey Jay Ford in a tight finish by 0.17l from Brudenell (Russian Revolution) with Contemporary (Exceed And Excel) a length away in third.
“In Flight looked like she was going to run a good second but you had to like the way she really dug deep to win,” Charley said.
“Earlier in the day, Joe Pride told me this was a race he had never won before but he felt he could do it with this mare. I'm happy for Joe because I think he's an outstanding trainer and he's got a good horse with In Flight.”
Winner of the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes at her last start, In Flight now has seven wins from 17 starts and earnings over $660,000. She was purchased by Proven Thoroughbreds and Pride Racing from Goodwood Farm’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale draft for $220,000 and is one of 10 stakes winners for Flying Artie. Her dam, Waveline (USA) (Stravinsky {USA}) has also produced stakes placed Waimea Bay (All Too Hard).
National Classic won by Adiella
“Yeah it's like winning the Lotto really,” said winning trainer John Dunn when his 4-year-old mare Adiella (The Mission) won the $500,000 Magic Millions National Classic for fillies and mares aged three and up. Catalogued but withdrawn from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, she now has earnings over $500,000 from her six wins from 14 starts.
“These good horses are hard to find. She's got that habit of getting her head on the side. I don't know why she does it, she's probably still learning her craft. She hasn't had many starts, but she always tries her hardest and we've always had faith in her. We've had this family for a long time and we've had a lot of good horses out of it, so this means a lot to us.”
Playing God’s Playin’it Sweet wins at Pinjarra
Breaking through at her third start, 2-year-old filly Playin’it Sweet (Playing God) won at Pinjarra for trainer Adam Durrant. A homebred for the Cosgrove family, she is the first winner for Sweet Ora (Oratorio), a half-sister to Listed winner La Famelia (Strategic) and Sixth Legion (Strategic).
Flying Artie’s juveniles flying
Trainer John Sargent’s 2-year-old gelding Flying Orchid (Flying Artie) showed plenty of debut when he demolished the juvenile field at Newcastle by 3.5l on Saturday. He is the fifth juvenile winner for his sire from his current crop of 2-year-olds, and three of those winners won in May.
Passed in twice at different sales, Flying Orchid is the third winner for Orchid Beach (Hinchinbrook) who is an unraced half-sister to Listed winner Insistence (Black Hawk {GB}).
Omaha Beach 2-year-old wins at Swan Hill
Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained 2-year-old filly Wicked Storm (Omaha Beach {USA}) debuted at Swan Hill on Saturday with a 1.5l win. A $62,500 purchase by her trainer at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from Ashmore Thoroughbreds, she is out of I’m Wicked (More Than Ready {USA}) who is a half-sister to Listed winner Rose Of Peace (Hussonet {USA}).
Fourth winner for Graff
Jessica Kuhn-trained 2-year-old gelding Grumpyoldcol (Graff) won at Moranbah on Saturday, breaking into the winner's circle at his fifth start. He becomes the fourth winner for first season sire Graff, whose Grafterburners is Group 2-placed. Sold twice as a yearling for $1000 and $2000 respectively, Grumpyoldcol is the last foal of Ten To Midnight (Fastnet Rock) who is a city winning half-sister to Group 2 winner Trezavant (Flying Spur).
Graff | Standing st Kitchwin Hills
Riding highlights from Saturday’s racing
Apprentice jockey Cobi Vitler won four races at the Gold Coast on Saturday including on Zoustar’s Zouthar. At Randwick, jockey Ashley Morgan rode a treble on 2-year-old colt Hidden Motive (Capitalist), 4-year-old gelding Hellfire Express (Hellbent), both trained by Nathan Doyle, and on Matthew Smith-trained 3-year-old filly Mille De Lune (Puissance De Lune {Ire}).
Jockey Keegan Latham rode a treble at Newcastle including on 2-year-old Flying Orchid (Flying Artie). Linda Meech rode a treble at Swan Hill. Robert Faehr won three of the five races at Mt Isa.
Tambo’s Justice stays unbeaten
Tambo’s Justice, a 4-year-old gelding by Justify (USA), stayed unbeaten with his fifth win from as many starts at Townsville on Saturday. Trained by Georgie Holt, he has done all his racing at Townsville.
Passed in as a yearling, he is out of Lightfeet Lady (Lion Heart {USA}) who won 11 of her 37 starts.
Trainer with one horse wins at Flemington
Trainer Kevin Daffy will aim his only horse 5-year-old mare Oh Too Good (All Too Hard) at next month’s Listed Winter Championship Final after she won at Flemington on Saturday. “It's indescribable. My first metro winner and to do it here at Flemington,” Daffy said.
“I wasn't really sure how she would go on the soft track. We all found out together today on a soft track – very pleasing it was a bit unknown – she's never run on a track other than a Good 4. Not in my wildest dream (train a Flemington winner), winning her first race … (Pakenham maiden) was enough for me. Everything she has done since has been a bonus. I know how fortunate I am, as I know how tough this game is. I'm the smallest trainer in Australia with one horse. It's indescribable.” Oh Too Good has won five of her 11 starts and over $500,000.
Trebles from Saturday’s racing
At Randwick, jockey Ashley Morgan rode a treble on 2-year-old colt Hidden Motive (Capitalist), 4-year-old gelding Hellfire Express (Hellbent), both trained by Nathan Doyle, and on Matthew Smith-trained 3-year-old filly Mille De Lune (Puissance De Lune {Ire}).
Strasbourg filly thrives at Ellerslie
Ken Harrison-trained 3-year-old filly Moxie (Strasbourg) took her record to two wins from three starts with a strong win at Ellerslie on Saturday. “That was great today as she didn’t really fire at Te Rapa, but I don’t think she handled the track there at all,” Harrison said.
“We had thought of tipping her out after that but decided to give her another shot before she does go to the paddock and I’m glad we did. They don’t often come from where she did today at this track but she seems to like it here and I think her sectionals will be pretty good when they come through.
“She is definitely going to the paddock now and then we will get her back and look at some of those good 4-year-old races next season as getting some black type for her is a priority.” She is one of 11 winners from the first crop of Strasbourg, who has sired Group 3 winner Colmar.
O’Brien takes a jab at Cup vets
After Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})’s win in the G1 Coronation Cup on Friday at Epsom, trainer Aidan O’Brien took a swipe at the Racing Victoria veterinarians who scratched him prior to last spring’s G1 Melbourne Cup. “We thought he was the biggest certainty ever for the Melbourne Cup last year,” O’Brien said.
Aidan O'Brien | Image courtesy of Emma Berry
O’Brien stated that the horse would not target the Melbourne Cup this year. Jan Brueghel had not raced for nearly a year heading into the G3 Alleged Stakes at the Curragh in April 2025, which he ran third in, prior to Friday’s Group 1 win.
Porta Fortuna to miss Ascot
Multiple Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio {USA}) will miss a start at Royal Ascot later this month after picking up a “small injury”, according to trainer Donnacha O'Brien who announced the news on Instagram. Connections had been mulling a start in either the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes or the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot.
“Unfortunately Porta Fortuna has picked up a small injury and will miss Ascot,” O'Brien posted on Friday. “We look forward to getting her back on track later this year.”
TTR’s Leonard leads Global Symposium workshop
Registration is open for the Global Symposium on Racing, which will take place December 8-10, 2025, at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona, the event announced Friday.
The Global Symposium on Racing brings together leaders and innovators from every corner of the horse racing world to explore the industry's most pressing challenges and emerging opportunities. Over the course of three days and more than a dozen panel sessions, attendees will engage in discussions and gain valuable insights.
This year's Symposium will feature a pre-conference media training workshop titled 'Calm. Clear. Credible: Responding When Racing's Under Fire', led by Vicky Leonard in collaboration with Light Up Racing. A full agenda of topics and speakers will be released later in the summer.
