The Flemington straight is arguably Australia’s most valuable proving ground when it comes to aspiring stallions. For established star sires like Australia’s current top two, I Am Invincible and Zoustar, it continues to be a happy hunting ground.
The greatest moments of Zoustar’s racing and breeding career have occurred down the Flemington straight.
In 2013, he emulated his sire Northern Meteor and grandsire Encosta De Lago by winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes, in the process confirming himself as the premier sprinting three-year-old of his crop.
Five years later, his first-crop trio, Sunlight, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine trifectaed the same race. Earlier this season, Ozzmosis became the second of Zoustar’s progeny to win the Coolmore.
But the Widden star’s record down the Flemington straight extends far beyond just that three-year-old spring feature. He has also had two winners of the Newmarket Handicap, Sunlight and Zoutori, giving him four Flemington straight Group 1 winners.
On Saturday, Right To Party became his 57th stakes winner overall and an Australian-leading 17th of the season when she stormed home to claim the Listed Creswick Series Final over 1200 metres. It came a day after he became just the second Australian sire ever to have 200 individual winners in a season, joining I Am Invincible.
Significantly, it was Zoustar’s 16th stakes win as a sire in a Flemington sprint, putting him in some top company when it comes to his success at the iconic Melbourne racetrack.
We looked through the record of every Australian champion sire this century, as well as every Flemington Group 1 winner since 2000 to go on to stud and found only handful of stallions with more sprint stakes wins from their progeny at Flemington.
The list is headed by Exceed And Excel, the 2004 Newmarket Handicap winner who would go on to be champion sire in 2012/13. The progeny of the recently pensioned Darley star have won 33 stakes races down the Flemington straight, including five Group 1 wins from Bivouac (twice), Exceedance, September Run and Cylinder.
I Am Invincible, who will edge out Zoustar for his third consecutive Australian sires championship this season, is the leading active sires when it comes to stakes wins down the Flemington straight.
He only had two starts himself at Flemington, and was well-beaten both times, but the record of his progeny in Flemington sprints is simply outstanding, with 22 stakes wins, including eight Group 1, two apiece from Brazen Beau, Home Affairs, In Secret and Imperatriz.
Casting the net back further, Danehill’s progeny won 52 stakes races at Flemington, but only 22 of them at 1200 metres or shorter, the same number as I Am Invincible. His two Group 1 winners down the Flemington straight were Exceed And Excel and Fastnet Rock, both prolific Flemington stakes producers themselves.
Danehill’s grandson Snitzel went close to winning a Group 1 at Flemington as a racehorse, nabbed on the post by Takeover Target in the 2006 Newmarket. Two of his progeny, Snitzerland and Redzel, have won Group 1 sprints at the track, while he has 17 stakes wins in total in Flemington sprints, one more than Zoustar.
Of those horses who won Group 1 sprint races at Flemington and subsequently went to stud, Zoustar is behind only Exceed And Excel, and ahead of Fastnet Rock (14 total stakes wins) and Testa Rossa (11), who both won Lightning Stakes.
The Ascot Vale Stakes was not a Group1 when Encosta De Lago won it, so Zoustar’s grandsire doesn’t count on that list. But for reference, he had 14 stakes wins from his progeny down the Flemington straight, including Group 1 wins from Chautauqua, Northern Meteor and Alinghi.
Record of selected sires’ progeny in Flemington sprint stakes races
Source: Arion.co.nz
The difference between Zoustar and those names mentioned is that he is considerably earlier in his career. While he trails I Am Invincible by six when it comes to Flemington sprint stakes wins, he has had four fewer crops to this point.
Remarkably, 14.4 per cent of Zoustar’s progeny’s stakes wins to date have come in races over the 1000m, 1100m or 1200m at Flemington. That is considerably higher than Exceed And Excel (8.1 per cent), I Am Invincible (9 per cent), Danehill (2.8 per cent) or Snitzel (6 per cent).
Just for some context, Flemington sprints make up 28 of the 607 stakes races held in Australia each season, so around 4.6 per cent.
Of those 28 races this season, the last of which was held on Saturday, I Am Invincible’s progeny have won five, and Exceed And Excel, Starspangedbanner and Zoustar three each.
