Torryburn filly looks set for Stardom after Woodlands win
Tulloch Lodge filly Stardom (Zoustar) increased her worth ten-fold for her owner-breeder Torryburn Stud when proving best in a full field of 16 in Saturday’s Woodlands Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Scone.
The daughter of Zoustar (Northern Meteor) arrived into Saturday’s race having had a pair of previous starts, a debut third over 1000 metres at Kembla Grange before a dominant maiden win over 1200 metres at Wagga, and was sent off a $3.50 second-elect in the market for Saturday’s Listed event.
Given a canny ride by Adam Hyeronimus, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly kicked a couple of lengths clear entering the final 400 metres and held on well for a strong half-length win over Wollzeile (Tassort).
The Peter Snowden-trained Akaysha (Capitalist), who was sent off the $2.40 favourite, came home a further 0.9 lengths back in third.
The Listed event has proved a good launching pad for some high-class fillies in the past, most notably perhaps Godolphin’s subsequent dual Group 1 winner In Secret (I Am Invincible), who tasted a first stakes success when she landed the 2022 edition.
Torryburn’s John Cornish was delighted with Saturday’s result.
“A few drinks have gone past since we’ve had a good filly,” he said.
“I thought she might have been beat two or three times, but she kept her head down and kept coming. That’s a good sign for a baby, isn’t it?
“It’s been a thrill, you know how much I love it, and I love the farm.”
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus praised Waterhouse and Bott team for the handling of the filly.
“Horses that come from the stable, they’re so sharp out of the gates and it puts them in a really good position to be dominant like she was today,” the winning rider said.
“It was a very good training performance from Gai and Adrian because generally the horses from the stable will always progress out over further once they’ve started racing but for them to bring her back to 1100 metres in a stakes race, although she won well at Wagga, it was always going to be difficult and that goes to Gai and Adrian.”
Stardom is the best of three winners out of PJ Bell Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m)-winning Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) mare Diddums, who was also bred and raced by the Cornish family.
Diddums is a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) and produced a filly by Toronado (High Chaparral) last spring and is now back in foal to Zoustar.