Magic Millions Cup next for well-bred Zarastro
Million dollar yearling turned Inglis Digital bargain buy Zarastro (I Am Invincible) again showed the sunny climes of Queensland were to his liking in winning a second Brisbane stakes race in succession in yesterday’s Magic Millions Falvelon (Listed, 1200m) at Eagle Farm.
The first live foal of Adrift (Zabeel), a Group 2-winning three-quarter sister to triple Group 1 hero Maldivian (Zabeel), the Fairway Thoroughbreds-bred Zarastro was sold for $1.05 million to Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster at the Gold Coast in January, 2020.
But after nine starts for Waller which netted two city wins and culminated in a last of 14 at Rosehill in September 2022, the then four-year-old gelding was moved on from Sydney’s premier stable.
Waller’s Brisbane counterpart Tony Gollan, and associates, snapped him up from Inglis Digital a month after that last placing, securing him for $32,500.
And, albeit in lower grade, the move has paid handsomely. Zarastro has had seven runs for Gollan for five city wins and two seconds. A month ago, he took his first stakes victory by bolting home in Doomben’s Tatts Recognition Stakes (Listed, 1350m), and yesterday he claimed the Falvelon by almost two lengths.
Yesterday’s career-high pay cheque of $116,000 took his earnings under Gollan to $399,800, out of a lifetime haul of $518,500.
Little wonder his trainer was delighted yesterday as the five-year-old again showed a liking for not only a change of latitude but tactics as well. Since moving up north he’s also moved up to the front, leading in all seven runs for Gollan. That includes his two black-type successes – and a Listed second before those – under young jockey Angela Jones.
“He’s starting to learn more about conserving energy. We were confident if he was put under pressure today he’d be able to absorb it and kick off,” Gollan said.
“He’s got amazing natural speed and he’s also got that stamina as well. He’s a very exciting horse.”
Gollan is targeting a bigger payday still in the $1 million Magic Millions Cup (RL, 1400m) on January 13.
“He was dominant over the 1350 a few weeks ago. My idea was to bring him back to 1200 to try to keep some speed in his legs, to give us a chance of being there on Magic Millions day,” said Gollan, who has no fears for the gelding’s first try at 1400 metres.
“He’s got a really high cruising speed and good stamina.
“I can’t thank enough the boys who bought him, Jamie Haimes and Darren Smeath and all that crew, for giving us an opportunity to train a horse like this. We’re thrilled to have him.”
Adrift was a $370,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka yearling buy for James Harron in 2013. After a career of just seven starts with Gai Waterhouse for three wins – including the ATC Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in 2015 – she was bought at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale as a broodmare in 2020 by Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy for $700,000, offered carrying a foal by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock).
The resultant colt, bred by John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, was named Helmsman and was retired after one barrier trial. Camilleri then put Adrift to I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and has retained that filly, now named Seascape, who’s in training with Michael Freedman. Fairway now also has her yearling brother.
Gollan, and I Am Invincible, scored the quinella in yesterday’s Falvelon, with $3 favourite Zarastro leading home four-year-old stallion Nettuno ($6.50), while Toowoomba-trained Legal Esprit (Bel Esprit) was third and Godolphin’s second-favourite Spacewalk (Exosphere) fourth.
Nettuno, a son of Group 3 winner Saint Minerva (Galileo), who was a $500,000 buy for Gollan, John Foote and Black Soil Bloodstock at the Gold Coast in 2021, and he now has two stakes placings alongside a Group 3 win, in last year’s Ken Russell Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) on the Gold Coast.