Riverstone welcomes Starlust
Riverstone Lodge are set to kick off the 2025 breeding season with the introduction of their inaugural stallion, Breeders Cup Turf Sprint (Gr 1, 5f) winner Starlust (Zoustar).
The son of champion sire Zoustar (Northern Meteor) recently arrived at the Hunter Valley farm following the final start of his racing career, a fourth-place finish in the King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at Royal Ascot. Since stepping onto the Blandord farm, he has already attracted strong attention from breeders.
“It’s incredibly exciting for our first horse to be a group one winner, by the champion sire in Australia in Zoustar,” Riverstone’s Director Nick Taylor told ANZ News.
“Starlust has been really well received in his early days at Riverstone, obviously he was in quarantine so he’s only been at the farm for two weeks, but so far, so good. He’s letting down really well. We’ve had good traffic through the farm and feedback has been really positive.
Taylor also confirmed that Starlust’s first season would be capped at covering 140 mares, a decision designed to protect both the horse and his long-term commercial appeal.
“I want to restrict his book to look after the horse, look after the breeders and not over expose him in the market. It’s a long game for us and longevity in the horse is key for us, so we want to take care of him in his early days and then he will sort himself out as he goes on.”
Riverstone Lodge have also ensured strong in-house support, committing a number of recently purchased mares to visit the stallion.
“We’ve worked really hard to buy mares earlier in the year and at the Magic [Millions] Sale. It’s incredibly competitive to buy those nice mares, but we’ve managed to buy 15 mares, we’ll be supporting Starlust in his first season at stud with 15 of our best mares.”