Waller breaks his Group 1 record as Joliestar takes out Kingsford-Smith Cup
Chris Waller has etched another record into the annals of Australian racing history, claiming his 19th Group 1 win of the season courtesy of a thrilling last-stride victory by Joliestar (Zoustar) in Saturday’s $1 million Kingsford-Smith Cup (Gr 1, 1300m) at Eagle Farm.
The performance saw Waller eclipse his own benchmark of 18 elite-level wins set in 2018-19, a season headlined by the final triumphs of his legendary mare Winx (Street Cry).
This season, it has been his outstanding European import Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) who led the charge with seven Group 1 wins, while Saturday saw Joliestar contribute a second this term after her classy Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) success in March.
Backed into $2.40 favouritism for the Eagle Farm feature despite being off the track since her half-length second in the All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) in April, Joliestar was ridden patiently by James McDonald and found herself with plenty to do on the turn as Zarastro (I Am Invincible) and Golden Mile (Astern) dashed for home.
The four-year-old mare rose to the challenge however, producing a relentless stand-side run which propelled her past Zarastro in the final yards, claiming her third Group 1 by 0.1 lengths, with Golden Mile the same margin further back in third.
“There was not one stage where I thought she was going to win the race,” an honest McDonald said.
“Then she put in this humungous dive with two strides to go and I thought, I’m a little chance here and I looked up and saw the camera man. She is a super mare.”
Waller was quick to hail the ride by McDonald, having been concerned over the lack of runners coming from off the pace during the day.
“It’s been hard to run the leaders down today and we discussed pre-race where we can’t change our racing pattern,” the record-breaking trainer said.
“But in saying that, it was a lovely ride from James. He went straight across from the barriers and got in front of Giga Kick and one or two others, and that was probably the winning of the race.”
Now a six-time winner from 15 starts, Waller hinted that Joliestar could again be targeted at The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) in the spring after she flashed home for a luckless seventh in last October’s edition.
“It was a mission that we missed out on last spring so we will have a chat about it,” he said.
“She is a lovely horse. She’s got a great record. She did it at three, she has won a Newmarket and had a lot of bad luck along the way.
“She is a pleasure to be training. The stable at the Gold Coast call her ‘The Queen’ so we will run with that. She is the Queen of Queensland today, anyway.”
Bred by Chris and Jane Barham and purchased by Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay for $950,000 from the Segenhoe Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Joliestar (4 m Zoustar – Jolie Bay by Fastnet Rock) is a half-sister to the stakes-placed pair God Of Thunder (More Than Ready) and Emperor (I Am Invincible).
She is the best of six winners from six to race out of the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Jolie Bay, herself a sister to Group 1 winner Merchant Navy and Listed winner Setanta.
Jolie Bay has since produced a yearling sister to Joliestar, a weanling filly by Anamoe (Street Boss) and is again due to foal to Widden Stud’s Zoustar (Northern Meteor), who will stand the upcoming season for an unaltered fee of $275,000 (inc GST).