Zoustar out to end impressive first-crop season with Group 1 runner at Newmarket
A midweek novice at Yarmouth may be a race that Qatar Racing manager and Tweenhills Stud owner David Redvers looks back on fondly next weekend with Zoology (Zoustar) looming as a potential first northern hemisphere elite-level runner for Widden Stud shuttler Zoustar (Northern Meteor) in the Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Newmarket.
The James Ferguson-trained two-year-old created a favourable impression when winning on debut at Yarmouth last week, effortlessly bounding four lengths clear of his closest rival in the six-furlong contest under Qatar Racing’s retained rider Cieren Fallon to score at odds of 3-1.
Zoology became the first northern hemisphere-bred progeny of Zoustar to win for the stallion’s racing owners Qatar Racing, while for Ferguson, the trainer of Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)-bound gelding Deauville Legend (Sea The Stars), it was his first debut two-year-old winner of the season.
Zoology kicked clear from the two-furlong marker to beat the David Simcock-trained Ararat (Kodiac), with more fancied rival Proverb (Harry Angel) beaten a total five and a quarter lengths in third.
“He’s a nice horse,” Ferguson said post-race. “He will hopefully come on from that and we look to have a nice horse for the future.
“He was very professional and it was great for the Qatar team who own him. It is a privilege to train for them and it is nice to have a good one.
“He’s always been nice, but has needed plenty of time to get ready. Luckily with the support of the owners we’ve been able to be patient and today was obviously his day.”
Given his entry in Saturday’s Middle Park Stakes, the first juvenile-only Group 1 race in Britain this season, Redvers and co were clearly under no illusions of the talent Zoology possessed heading into last Tuesday’s contest and expected a bold showing from the 90,000gns Tattersalls December Foals Sale purchase.
“We expected a strong debut going by his home work and he’s always been a favourite at home,” Redvers told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I knew there were a few other well-fancied runners from yards that were in form which tempered out confidence but his performance was great.”
With just 11 days between his emphatic debut effort and the Group 1 on the Rowley Mile, Redvers admitted it’ll be a matter of how Zoology handles the next few days before any decision will be made regarding a future target, but feels the Middle Park entry has been justified.
“We’ll talk to James and see how he comes out of the race. He was given the Middle Park entry for a reason and if he was to win the maiden as he did, he would then have that option,” Redvers said.
“It’ll depend now on how he comes out of the race but we certainly feel the entry is justified.”
The second foal out of the German Listed winner Peach Melba (Dream Ahead), Zoology is a half-brother to five-furlong two-year-old winner Instinctive Move (Showcasing).
Zoustar makes noteworthy impression with first northern hemisphere juveniles
While juveniles such as Zoology continue to impress on the track, Redvers confirmed that Zoustar will return to Tweenhills for the 2023 breeding season following his impressive maiden crop of two-year-olds.
Zoustar’s debut crop, so far, has been headlined by Princess Margaret Stakes (Gr 3, 5f) winner Lezoo, as well as Zoology and the David Howden-owned Zu Run, a promising winner of a Chelmsford maiden last month.
With a total of nine winners from 40 starters, Zoustar sits eighth on the European first season sire table (by prize-money), with Havana Grey (Havana Gold) and former Swettenham shuttler Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy) engaged in an engrossing battle for the leading first-crop sire by winners crown, with 32 and 33 winners respectively.
Redvers is excited about what the future may hold for Zoustar’s current two-year-old crop, believing they will improve further with a winter break on their backs.
“We have some beautiful horses by Zoustar and it’s funny because he is almost replicating what he did in Australia with his first crop,” Redvers said.
“They don’t really take off until they’re three-years-old, but they have something special about them.
“His first runners are doing very well, with Lezoo a Group 3 winner already and Zoology and David Howden’s Zu Run, another horse we bred at Tweenhills, looking very smart colts who should be contesting races at the top end of things.”
Having sired an impressive 334 winners from 484 starters at a strike-rate of more than 60 per cent in Australia, including three Group 1 winners Sunlight, Zoutori and Mizzy, Zoustar’s £25,000 (approx. AU$42,746) fee looks a steal compared to his $198,000 (inc GST) impost at Widden Stud, but Redvers knows exactly how difficult it can be to attract custom should the price be too high.
“It can be difficult when you’re taking a horse from a different jurisdiction, where he is well-known and enjoyed great success, to the UK, where he is yet to stand,” he said.
“If we were to set his fee at the same or similar to his Australian asking price then we’d have got nowhere soon.
“He has to do the hard work here but the great thing is he got plenty of compliments and we knew ourselves that he was very good and brought something different to the market.”
Zoustar has the opportunity to eclipse both Exceed And Excel (Danehill) and Fastnet Rock’s (Danehill) northern hemisphere first-crop two-year-olds, should Zoology add a Group 1 win next to the sire’s name in Saturday’s Middle Park Stakes.
Asked just how Zoustar measures up to Exceed And Excel, who sired Lowther Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) winner Infamous Angel in his first northern hemisphere crop, and Fastnet Rock, who had 13 starters for five winners from his first crop in 2011, Redvers believes he has surpassed expectations.
“It’s only early days but he stands up extremely favourably,” he said.
“He’s currently leading sire in Australia as we speak and hopefully he’ll continue to provide for us over in the UK [with his second crop] as well as his current crop improving with development.”
Zoustar has clicked with Danehill (Danzig)-line mares in Australia, however his winners in the northern hemisphere are out of mares deriving from several different sire lines. Four of the nine have come from the Danehill line, a line which Redvers was keen to continue.
“Danehill is very present over in Australia and where possible we like to replicate the breeding lines as best as possible here in the UK,” he said.
A potential increase in fee has not yet been discussed by the team at Tweenhills, though seems increasingly likely, with the UK Flat season set to officially come to a close following Ascot’s Champions Day on October 15. However, Redvers is certain that he’d like to stand Zoustar for many years to come.
“It’s way too early to discuss fees, but he’ll return to us next season and we plan to have him return for as long as possible,” he said.
Zoustar will also be well represented during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling sale next month, with 13 scheduled to pass through the ring.
Among those is Lot 209, a colt out of the Qatar Racing-owned Listed-winning Lope De Vega (Shamardal) mare Ship Of Dreams, whose half-sibling, an unraced filly by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), was purchased at last year’s Book 1 sale for 325,000gns after originally being sold by Tweenhills for 185,000gns at the 2020 December Foal Sale.
The Book 1 sale will begin at 11am (UK time) on October 4 and runs until October 6. The catalogue can be found by clicking here.