News

Zululand Displays Championship Class

8th Mar 2014

Impeccable colt Zululand stamped himself as a serious Group 1 player for The Championships in Sydney with a barnstorming victory in the time-honoured Gr.2 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes over 1400m at Flemington on Saturday.

Zululand (Fastnet Rock x Dream Play) settled back in the field and once given plenty of galloping room down the long Flemington straight the colt unleashed an impressive finish to run away from placegetters Awesome Rock and Marcado.

Bred and sold by Kia-Ora Stud for $1,500,000 at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Zululand is raced by Coolmore Syndicate (Mgr: Mrs S Magnier), Tabor Syndicate (Mgr: M Tabor), Wynaus Syndicate (Mgr: D Smith), A K Teo & Emmaroo Bloodstock Syndicate (Mgr: Mrs C J Murray).

Inglis graduates have won seven of the last eight VRC Sires' Produce Stakes thanks to Zululand, Twilight Royale, All Too Hard, Running Tall, Rostova, Von Costa de Hero & Incumbent. Inglis is also the leading sales source of Group winning two-year-olds in Australia this current season.

Trainer David Hayes took million dollar colt Von Costa de Hero from a VRC Sires’ Produce win to a nose second place in the Golden Slipper, but Hayes believes fellow Easter graduate Zululand will be better suited to 1400m and 1600m for now.

“I think when he matures he might be a 1200 metre horse, but he is really a seven furlong and miler. And, for that reason we’ll be taking a [ATC] Sires and Champagne path with him. I think he could be special at a mile,” Hayes said.

The $1 million Gr.1 ATC Sires' Produce Stakes, sponsored by Inglis, will be run on Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick in Sydney on 12 April 2014. The Gr.1 ATC Champagne Stakes will be run over 1600m two weeks later.

Zululand’s brother to be offered by Kia-Ora Stud as Lot 417 is one of 55 yearlings by Fastnet Rock that have been catalogued for this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale to be held on 8, 9 & 10 April 2014.

Redoute’s Choice, the sire of Gr.1 VRC Newmarket Stakes winner Lankan Rupee, is represented with 36 yearlings in the 2014 Easter Yearling catalogue.

Bernardini, the sire of Gr.1 ATC Chipping Norton Stakes winner Boban, is represented by 13 lots at Easter.

Both Lankan Rupee and Boban’s dams, Estelle Collection and Kenbelle, were purchased as yearlings at Easter highlighting the outstanding long-term value of fillies offered at the prestigious auction.

550 of Australasia’s best bred and conformed yearlings have been catalogued for the 2014 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The catalogue can be view online at www.inglis.com.au and on the Inglis Sales iPad app. Hard-copy catalogues can be requested by email to catalogue@inglis.com.au