Zarastro Continues Hot Summer Run

Tara Madgwick - Saturday December 23

Purchased as a yearling for $1,050,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions, Zarastro failed to measure up to expectation as a colt and was re-offered in 2022 on Inglis Digital where he was snapped up by Tony Gollan for $32,500 and the five year-old I Am Invincible gelding has found a new lease of life in sunny Queensland posting his second stakes win on Saturday at Eagle Farm in the $200,000 Listed BRC Magic Millions Falvelon Stakes (1200m).

Zarastro worked quickly through his grades after heading to Queensland and is thriving in his current preparation coming into this assignment off a last start win in the BRC Tattersalls Recognition Stakes.

Advertisement

He kept up the good work with another bold front running victory for Angela Jones, proving impossible to catch with I Am Invincible stallion Nettuno filling the quinella in second place some two and a half lengths back.

With seven wins from 16 starts and prizemoney topping $518,000, the best seems still to come for Zarastro and his big ownership group of Gollan stable clients.

Being Magic Millions eligible, all roads will lead to the Gold Coast in the immediate future with the $1m Magic Millions Cup (1400m) the target.

"I'm so proud of him, especially today, that was his acid test today," Gollan said.

"He has amazing natural speed, but he also has stamina, he is a very exciting horse.

"I thought he absorbed it well and was able to get to where he wanted in the straight.

"When Spacewalk loomed up, I knew he had a fair bit in the locker and he was dominant at 1350m only four weeks ago and the idea was always to bring him back to the 1200m today to keep the speed in his legs to give us a really good chance of being there on Magic Millions day.

"He is starting to learn a lot more about conserving his energy … We were confident if there was going to be pressure put on him today, he'd be able to absorb it."

Zarastro was a $1,050,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase from Segenhoe.

Bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and consigned by Segenhoe Stud, Zarastro is the first living foal of Zabeel’s speedy Group II ATC Light Fingers Stakes winner Adrift, a half-sister to the dam of Group I winner Entriviere.


Adrift has a yearling colt by I Am Invincible that is headed to Inglis Easter and she was covered by Wootton Bassett (GB) this year after missing to Extreme Choice.

Advertisment

Race Result - Magic Millions Falvelon LR 1200m

Eagle Farm Track: Good(4) Time: 1:09.04
1
Zarastro
- 5g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Adrift (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Angela Jones 56
I Am Invincible
2
1.9
Nettuno
- 4h I Am Invincible (AUS) x Saint Minerva (AUS) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Ben Thompson 56.5
I Am Invincible
3
2.4
Legal Esprit
- 5g Bel Esprit (AUS) x Legal Assistant (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: Donald Baker Rdr: R Dolan 54
Bel Esprit
4
2.6
Spacewalk
- 4g Exosphere (AUS) x Benenden (AUS) (Dubawi (IRE))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: B Shinn 59
5
3.2
Richon
- 4g Danerich (AUS) x Bon Vacance (AUS) (Good Journey (USA))
Tnr: Peter Robl Rdr: Bailey Wheeler 53
6
3.6
Rubiquitous
- 5g Rubick (AUS) x Novaspirit (AUS) (Bel Esprit (AUS))
Tnr: Chris Anderson Rdr: Kyle Wilson-Taylor 56
7
4
Master Jamie
- 7g Poet's Voice (GB) x Verkko (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: G R Green Rdr: Leslie Tilley 56.5
8
4.1
Alpine Edge
- 5h Better Than Ready (AUS) x Freezethemillions (AUS) (Freeze (AUS))
Tnr: A J & T Edmonds Rdr: A Mallyon 58.5
9
4.6
Ef Troop
- 8g Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Limealicious (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Damien Thornton 55
10
4.7
Fifteen Rounds
- 8g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Sugar Bay (CAN) (Syncline (USA))
Tnr: B J Lockwood Rdr: S Cormack 55
11
4.8
Deepour
- 6g Exosphere (AUS) x Misshiraz (AUS) (Secret Savings (USA))
Tnr: Adam Campton Rdr: E Chaves 54.5
12
5.1
Ralphie
- 5g Bel Esprit (AUS) x Ruggles (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: Gary Doughty Rdr: S T Collett 53
More Reading...
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for this season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end next season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
Spring Potential for Darby Racing's Raging Force
Unplaced in the Group III ATC Breeders’ Plate last spring on debut, Raging Force came out of that race with an injury that required significant time on the sidelines, but since returning to full work his progress has been swift.
Invincible Sprinter Wins $1million MM Snippets
For the third year in a row champion sire I Am Invincible produced the winner of the of the $1 million Howden Magic Millions Snippets (1200m) with the Tony Gollan trained gelding Zarastro following in the footsteps of King of Sparta, who won in 2023 and 2024.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Super Seth has had three G1 winners in Australia this season and John O’Shea and Tom Charlton have trained two of them, so when they produce a lightly raced maiden winner by this exciting young sire we want to know more.
Zarastro Wins G3 Tatts Healy Stakes
A two time stakes-winner at the end of last year, the Tony Gollan trained I Am Invincible gelding Zarastro has been performing a little below par this preparation, but bounced back to his brilliant best to post a career highlight win in the $200,000 Group III Tatts WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
High-flying Pencarrow Stud offers well-bred mares in Online Breeding Stock Sale
The 2024-25 season has been one of the best ever for Pencarrow Stud, and some of the renowned bloodlines that have underpinned that success are now available for purchase in the 2025 National Online Breeding Stock Sale on Gavelhouse Plus.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
There were six heats for juveniles at Rosehill on Friday morning and the winners include unraced youngsters by Cool Aza Beel and I Am Invincible, plus a Farnan colt that tried his luck in Group races in the autumn and was far from disgraced.
So You Think 3YO Wins $100,000 Inglis Xtra Bonus
Good placement from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable for progressive three year-old So You Think gelding Aloysius, who cast off maiden status at Hawkesbury on Thursday in a race that featured a lucrative Inglis Xtra maiden bonus.
First Stakes Win for Inglis Digital Bargain Zarastro
Purchased as a yearling for $1,050,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions, Zarastro failed to measure up to expectation as a colt and was re-offered in 2022 on Inglis Digital where he was snapped up by Tony Gollan for $32,500 and the five year-old I Am Invincible gelding scored his first stakes win on Saturday with a commanding victory in the Listed BRC Tattersalls Recognition Stakes (1350m).
One to Watch – Ballarat
Synthetic track meetings at Ballarat can throw up some misleading form, but a debut winner from the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable that started in the red and won by nine lengths is probably worth a closer look.