Another incredible weekend for Zoustar
Qatar Racing stallion Zoustar enjoyed a stunning weekend of results on the racetrack as his progeny made deep impressions in a range of top-class races, including a 1-2 in the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap.
The 1200m track at Flemington is becoming synonymous with the Zoustar sire line. Both Zoustar and his sire Nothern Meteor won the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes over the course and distance, and Zoustar sired a 1-2-3 in that same race in 2018 headed by Sunlight (part-owned by Qatar Racing).
Sunlight also won the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap in 2019 and her paternal half-brother Zoutori was successful this year, from another son of Zoustar in Indian Pacific another Gr.1 forecast for Zoustar. Zoutori carried the 57kg top weight to a superb victory front-running Indian Pacific.
The Newmarket capped a treble of big-race wins on Saturday for Zoustar as two-year-old colt Lightsaber completed his own hat-trick in the Gr.2 Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m), also at Flemington, and two-year-old filly Glistening won the Gr.2 Reisling Stakes over 1200m at Randwick.
Also at Randwick on Saturday, Gr.2 winner Mizzy added a second place in the 1300m Gr.1 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick to her CV.
That wasn't all for Zoustar either. At Canberra on Sunday, two-year-old colt Solar Winds made a very promising debut by finishing a close second in the Gr.3 Black Opal Stakes over 1200m.
Zoustar is currently covering his third book of Nothern Hemisphere mares at Tweenhills, home of Qatar Racing's stallions.
Discussing the weekend, Qatar Racing's racing manager David Redvers said: ‚"I have had five people ring up this morning trying to book in mares off the back of it, which is a sign that people are becoming a lot more aware of what is going on around the world, probably thanks to things like Twitter as much as anything.
‚"We have got room for a couple of mares because it has been a bit slow this year with all the stallions as a result of COVID and Brexit and things like that, so there is still a little bit of elbow room.
‚"For me personally, it gives me a huge amount of confidence because this was his weakest book of mares and to have two juvenile Gr.2 winners come out of it so far is hugely exciting, because next year he will have his best bred bunch of two-year-olds and he will have his first European yearlings and I think he will go to another level and it just great doing it consistently at the top-level is just brilliant.‚"
With his first Northern Hemisphere crop due to hit the racecourse in 2022 and his best crop of juveniles to run in Australia next season, Zoustar looks to have an exciting couple of years ahead of him. For further information please contact our nominations team team on +44 (0)1452 700177